A Story of a Young Man with Nowhere to Turn: Keep an Eye on ‘Rising Star’ Choi Gang-hyun!

Rising star Choi Gang-hyun, selected from a pool of 787 candidates, plays Min-jun, a 27-year-old delivery driver, in director Roh Young-wan’s feature debut, Halo. On screen from the film’s beginning to end, he brings Min-jun’s daily life to the screen with meticulous preparation and nuanced acting.

Halo tells the story of Min-jun, a 27-year-old delivery driver searching for a glimmer of hope. It is a close-up look at the life of someone we encounter every day but may never truly see. The camera follows him as he races nonstop through the city, capturing the hours he spends living each day with every fiber of his being. Through Min-jun’s daily life, the film reflects the realities facing society and young people today, offering a new kind of realism.

The film uses no music, building its rhythm from the everyday sounds of Min-jun’s footsteps and breathing, the noise of the city and radio news. Rather than heightening emotions with music, it deepens and sharpens them through the actor’s small gestures, subtle changes in expression and moments of silence. Choi anchors the film with a natural portrayal of Min-jun’s daily life within this approach.

During casting, director Roh Young-wan sought an actor who could naturally capture Min-jun’s physique and movements, shaped by years of delivery work. He also considered it important to convey the character’s determination to keep going despite the hardships of his reality. To bring Min-jun to life, Choi lost 8 kilograms during preparations for filming, focusing on his physical transformation as well.

Choi’s preparation went beyond physical changes. Before filming, he visited a parcel sorting center and interviewed real delivery drivers who, like Min-jun, were 27 years old. He observed how drivers who sleep and eat in their trucks live, carefully noting where they keep their belongings, their habits and their everyday movements. Drawing on that experience, he also helped make the interior of the delivery truck used in the film feel authentic. Starting a month before filming, he drove the truck himself to become familiar with the character’s life.

That preparation translated into specific details in his performance. Choi naturally captures everything from the familiar motions of driving and delivering packages to subtle shifts in expression and gaze. Rather than relying on dramatic displays of emotion, he calmly conveys the character’s fatigue, tension and complex feelings, adding to the film’s realism. Though this is his first feature, his restrained expressiveness and steady focus carry the film through its lengthy runtime. His performance has also drawn attention abroad. Screen Daily praised Choi for sustaining the audience’s empathy through to the end, while Asian Movie Pulse singled him out as the film’s center and highlighted his outstanding performance. Choi also won the Bright Star Award at Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema, earning recognition for his potential as an actor with his first feature film.

His name may be unfamiliar, but his acting leaves a clear impression. Choi Gang-hyun, who brings every part of a 27-year-old delivery driver’s day to life, promises audiences the discovery of a new actor in his feature debut, Halo. The film, winner of the Best Film Award in the Future of Asia section at the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival, opens nationwide on Nov. 11.