Movies Like MIRAGE

On his way to his hometown of Incheon to receive a literary award for his first novel, Dong-jo wakes up hungover on the train, with his overnight bag missing. Stranded without his laptop and wallet, he visits an old high school friend Jae-ho in order to borrow some money. However, both the visit with his old friend and the award ceremony stir up bittersweet memories of his teenage friendship with Ki-jung, a bullied outsider obsessed with pulp science fiction—in particular a novel by a German author who vanished under mysterious circumstances. But when Dong-jo seeks out his former childhood sweetheart You-jin, their recollections of a trip with Ki-jung to Mil-wol Island, a place known for its legendary disappearances, mirror those portrayed in his novel. In his debut feature film, director Yang Jung-ho produces a compelling tale about how the bonds of adolescent friendship are tested by onset adulthood.