Stefan, a Romanian construction worker living in Brussels, visits his friends with a hearty bowl of soup before heading home for the holidays. Doing so, he happens to meet Shuxiu, a Chinese woman who studies mosses, and they experience a moment of deep connection in the woods. Belgian director Bas Devos’s fourth feature film, Here, captures Stefan’s heartwarming cinematic journey with grace and fluidity. The truths of life in small conversations, the cozy atmosphere that envelops the entire film, and the quietly vibrant nature of sunshine, wind, trees, rain, and moss combine to remind us of how meaningful and beautiful the little things in our life are, right here, right now. Winner of the Encounters section at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival and the International Federation of Film Critics Award, it is one of the most acclaimed films of the first half of 2023. (JO Ji-hoon)