Lost in Auto-Translation

Rania, a timid animator from Bandung, never dreamed that her wistful illustration would take the top prize at an international art competition in Seoul. She is then paired with Kim Min-jun, an aloof, perfectionist young curator from Gangnam. Separated by a language barrier and five thousand kilometers, the two have no choice but to talk through a global chat app and its none-too-reliable automatic translator. Over time, the little glitches and emotionally loaded mistranslations end up carrying feelings neither of them quite meant to reveal. Their working relationship slowly turns into a kind of safe haven, a place where they trade loneliness and dreams in the last third of the night. But when their digital romance runs up against the realities of distance, time zones, and the looming cancellation of the exhibition, Rania and Min-jun have to decide whether to stay hidden behind the safety of their phone screens or find the courage to meet in person and speak the one language that never needed translation: sincerity.