Program Note
Chaeun, a middle school student in a seaside town, is a gifted runner. When her school’s track team is disbanded, she dreams of transferring to a city school where she can continue pursuing her passion. But her father remains unresponsive, and communication with her mother, who is from the Philippines, is difficult. After being scolded by her father, Chaeun decides to leave home. Through Chaeun’s quiet but earnest longing to run, the film gently captures the complex realities of multicultural families in Korea—particularly the emotional struggles and identity conflicts faced by the adolescents growing up within them. Produced by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea as part of the omnibus series If You Were Me 4, the film’s screenplay was also featured in a Korean middle school textbook. (Martin LEE)