BUSAN 2026 – Full Moon by JEONG Jihye (Review)

By Asian Film Festival on October 12, 2026 • ( Leave a comment )

These are my thoughts on “Full Moon” by by JEONG Jihye, screened during the Busan International Film Festival (South Korea), which is taking place from which will take place from October 6 – 15, 2026.

Full Moon by JEONG Jihye – South Korea | 2026 – 96 minutes | World Premiere
Section: Vision – Korea

Hyemi is a middle schooler who seems to live in her own little kingdom. She leads her group of friends and puts herself at the center of her school’s dance team, even though she lacks the skills. But when a seemingly minor costume mishap occurs during a performance at the Great Full Moon festival (Jeongwol Daeboreum), the world she has built around herself starts to fall apart.

This small incident soon affects her friendships and puts a carefully guarded family secret at risk. As Hyemi tries to regain control of the situation, she begins to realize that the people around her have their own ambitions and desires, and that these do not always match her own.

One of the things that makes Full Moon work so well is the way JEONG Jihye handles its different themes. The film moves between humor and more intimate, emotionally charged moments without making the story feel overly dramatic. It is an entertaining film, but it never treats its characters’ struggles lightly. What initially appears to be a typical adolescent crisis gradually develops into a coming-of-age story that explores identity, vulnerability, and the desire to be accepted.

The performances are one of the film’s greatest strengths. Jung Minju does a convincing job of portraying Hyemi’s confidence and arrogance while also letting her insecurities show through. The supporting cast is just as good, giving the film a group of characters who feel real and honest, rather than simply existing to move the story forward. As the story unfolds, the film encourages us to look beyond our first impressions, revealing individuals with their own objectives, frustrations, and, above all, desires.

Seo Eun-jung (Soy KIM), a single mother who lives in the same apartment complex as Hyemi, is a good example. At first, she comes across as the typical “momfluencer,” promoting products online through her daughter. But there is more to her than this initial impression suggests. She has a job and struggles to make ends meet, giving us a glimpse of a woman whose everyday reality is quite different from the image she presents online.

Another thing that I really liked about the film is the cinematography. Some of the film’s most effective shots use the surrounding spaces to frame the characters, creating a visual language that subtly communicates distance, intimacy, and the changing dynamics between them. At other times, the camera focuses on a character, allowing their thoughts and feelings to emerge through their expressions and silences. These carefully composed moments add depth to the storytelling without relying on explicit explanations.

Full Moon is a well-crafted coming-of-age film about the moment when the world we have constructed for ourselves begins to collide with the reality of other people. Through its sensitive direction, strong performances, and carefully composed images, it captures the confusion of adolescence without reducing its characters to stereotypes or turning their struggles into melodrama.

EDITORS NOTE: You can also enjoy this film at the 50th São Paulo International Film Festival which will take place from October 15 to October 29, 2026 in São Paulo, Brazil. GO TO PAGE

Trailer:

About the director:
Jeong Jihye was born in 1995 and is based in Busan and Gyeongsangnam-do. She studied film directing at Dongseo University and directed the short films Good Girl (2017) and Selling Blood (2018). Her debut feature, Jeong-sun (2022), was screened in the New Directors section at the San Sebastián International Film Festival and at other prominent film festivals in Korea and abroad. It won the Grand Prize in Korean Competition at the Jeonju International Film Festival, as well as the Grand Jury Prize and the Best Actress Award at the Rome Film Festival.