"If only some people can have it, that's not happiness. That's just nonsense. happiness is something anyone can have."

As beautifully as it was conveyed, Kore-eda promises Yori and Minato a place in this world. That brighter, greener, and sunny days can be possible for queer children. The storm assures them a chance to heal their wounds, ease their pains, and start anew.

We often see queer films revolve around tragic narratives that are steeped in sorrow and pain. But…

Life has this strange way of catching us off guard. Vibrant summers suddenly feel like winters. Dry soil transforms into an abundant cabbage field. Raging sea storms soften into calm waters. Once real, a mother's embrace fades into a mere stillness in a picture frame, and a son's sweet laughter in a bowl of candies.

For Ae-Sun and Gwan-Sik, the sea is both a giver and a taker: of love, of dreams, and of life itself. The sea promises dreams…