Lost in Starlight

Seoul in 2050. Nan-young wants to be an astronaut; her mother was lost on a Mars mission and she hopes to go there and find some trace of her. When she passes the selection, months remain before launch. In that time she meets a man who repairs old record players and has given up on music. Their paths run in opposite directions. The subject is not space but the distance between the person who chooses to leave and the person who stays. The film builds the separation not as an obstacle but as a condition both accept; the real question is what the one waiting will do. The form designs a backward-looking future. Alongside the space technology there are turntables, cassettes and hand-repaired machines; the city is not gleaming but warm and worn. The colour and the backgrounds are the film's strongest element. It is Netflix's first Korean animated production. Han Ji-won wrote and directed it, developing the story with Kang Hyun-joo, and it was made at Climax Studio. It was released on 30 May 2025. Kim Tae-ri voices Nan-young and Hong Kyung the musician; both are known as live-action performers. Who it is for: viewers who like quiet science-fiction romance and animation with a handmade feel. Who it is not for: anyone waiting for events; the narrative is simple and rests entirely on feeling.