“I’m hungry,” says dissatisfied student Hye-won (Kim Tae-ri), explaining to her friend Eun-sook (Jin Ki-joo) why she has returned from her studies in Seoul to her rural village. Arriving mid-winter, she has come for only a few days – but will stay on for a year, rediscovering the patience and preparation necessitated by the rhythms of the seasons. Adapted from Daisuke Igarashi’s 2002 manga series, Yim Soon-rye’s film comes with the barest outline of a love triangle, but is mostly content to observe Hye-won slowly restoring both herself – and the viewer – with a gentle routine of good food and friendship. Along the way, she reestablishes her relationship to her absent mother (Moon Sori) and to mother nature, while reaping the rewards of her own replanted joie de vivre. With its heavy focus on cooking and eating, Little Forest will have you feeling hungry too.