A Werewolf Boy

In 1965, Sun-yi is a seventeen-year-old girl living in a remote Korean valley under a fragile landlord system. The present-day frame shows Sun-yi living in the United States who returns to her homeland to confront memories tied to a past she never fully left behind. The film toggles between these two eras, using memory to shape identity and relationships across decades.

Sun-yi returns to her homeland, traveling from the United States to rural South Korea. The countryside is a remote valley marked by poverty and a fragile social order. The setting contrasts the quiet, bucolic landscape with the tense dynamics around the landlord Ji-tae. The house and yard become the stage for memory and a delicate, forbidden bond.

🕰️ Time and Memory

Time is the backbone of the story, stitching the past and present into one continuous narrative. The vow Sun-yi makes—Wait for me—becomes a living thread that affects choices across generations. The film treats memory as both refuge and burden, shaping how characters see themselves.

❤️ Love Across Time

Love here is patient, enduring, and transformative. The relationship between Sun-yi and Chul-soo teaches compassion in the face of prejudice and danger. Their bond challenges social norms and asks whether tenderness can reshape a hostile world. The story suggests love can persist even beyond time and distance.

🛡️ Protection and Violence

Chul-soo's feral instincts erupt in moments of threat, forcing Sun-yi to choose between safety and loyalty. The town's fear exploits difference, turning love into a target for judgment. Sun-yi's mother's nurturing attempts collide with community hostility, highlighting the fragility of safety. The film questions where the line lies between protection and control.

🏚️ Socioeconomic Struggle

The valley's poverty and the landlord system shape every decision, from Sun-yi's family's precarious livelihood to the enforcement of social hierarchies. The narrative uses Chul-soo's outsider status to critique how society shuns the neighbor who doesn't fit. The setting reveals the long shadows cast by war and poverty on personal lives. The ending indicates memory and place can resist sale and erasure.