‘The Breaking Ice’ Premieres: A Coming-of-Age Drama Set on the China-Korea Border

The film ‘The Breaking Ice’ (Japanese title: 国境ナイトクルージング) is set to be released nationwide on October 18.

This film, which was featured in the “Un Certain Regard” section at the 76th Cannes Film Festival and represented Singapore in the International Feature Film category at the 96th Academy Awards, follows three young adults who meet by chance in the town of Yanji, located on the border between China and the Korean Peninsula. The story explores their emotional transformation as they cruise through the winter landscape of Yanji.

Directed by Anthony Chen, who won the Camera d’Or at the 66th Cannes Film Festival for ‘Ilo Ilo,’ and produced by Men Shie, known for ‘Memoria’ and ‘Wet Season’, the film’s music is composed by Kin Leong, a Singaporean ambient artist who graduated at the top of his class from the London College of Music and is making his feature film debut with this project.

The three young leads are played by popular Chinese actors. Dongyu Zhou, known for her roles in ‘Better Days’ and ‘Soul Mate,‘ reunites with Director Chen for a second time in the role of Nana. Liu Haoran, who starred as a genius detective in the ‘Detective Chinatown’ series, plays the elite Hao Feng, who gets stranded in the freezing town. Xu Xu, known for ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ and Netflix’s ‘The Wandering Earth,’ portrays the mood-maker Xiao, who harbors unrequited feelings for Nana.

In conjunction with the Japanese release announcement, a teaser visual and a special trailer have been revealed. The teaser visual depicts the three characters gazing at something in the nighttime town, while the special trailer shows their drinking, running, and laughing together in Yanji, ending with a quote from acclaimed director Hirokazu Kore-eda, who expresses his admiration for the film.