Hyun-jeong has been dating the same man for seven years, and is looking forward to marriage. However on a trip to Jeju Island - a traditional destination for Korean newlyweds - her boyfriend Min-seok suddenly breaks up with her. Stunned and confused, she tries to understand what went wrong, but Min-seok provides her with few answers.
At roughly the same time, a man named Sang-hoon who works in the same office building approaches her out of the blue and makes an awkward but determined effort to date her. Still feeling disoriented, she is touched by his interest, and in no time they are engaged to be married.
Sa-Kwa (a homonym which can mean either “apple” or “apology”) is a subtly-presented film that will resonate with anyone who has been through a complicated relationship. Central to the film’s power is the nuanced performance of the hugely-talented Moon So-ri (Oasis, A Good Lawyer’s Wife), who puts life into even the most trivial actions of her character. Meanwhile, the screenplay by debut director Kang Yi-kwan makes a determined effort to focus on everyday details in life, rather than surprising plot twists, making it easy to relate to the events onscreen.
The story of the film itself has been rather more dramatic than its filmmakers might have hoped. Completed in early 2005, Sa-Kwa has seen its commercial release continuously delayed, due to financial problems faced by the distributor and a belief that understated dramas offer little hope of box office success. Premiering at the Toronto Film Festival, it was presented with a FIPRESCI Award and then went on win a Montblanc Award for best first screenplay at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain. To date, however, Korean audiences have still not had a chance to watch this film.