RICEBOY SLEEPS

Canada 2022 - DCP - 117 minutes, in English and in Korean with English subtitles

Director, Screenplay: Anthony Shim

Producers: Bryan Demore, Anthony Shim

Cast: Choi Seung-yoon, Ethan Hwang, Dohyun Noel Hwang, Anthony Shim, Hunter Dillon, Jerina Son

Print Courtesy: Sphere Films

After a mysterious family tragedy, So-Young, a Korean single mother, moves her young son, Dong-Hyun, to Canada with the hope of giving him a better life. As the years pass, we witness the toll racism, illness, cultural assimilation, and familial resentment take on their relationship and Dong-Hyun’s tumultuous coming of age. In only his second feature film, director Anthony Shim—partially inspired by his own childhood—crafts an incredibly impactful, visually expansive, and emotionally resonant portrait of a mother and son living parallel lives in a strange and confounding new world. It’s a sweeping and ambitious cinematic vision, one that feels consistently grounded by heartbreaking and thoughtful performances, palpable intimacy, and searing tenderness. Winner of the Toronto International Film Festival’s coveted Platform Prize in 2022, Riceboy Sleeps solidifies Shim’s promise as an emerging director to watch. –SR Sponsored by Mid-Maine Global Forum

Eastern U.S. Premiere

Monday, July 10 4PM | WOH

Wednesday, July 12 6:20PM | MFC 3