Heartbeat Story: An Unanswered Phone Call Sends a Boy Racing Home

Spoiler notice: This preview explains the official setup without revealing what Cheol finds when he gets home. The film deals with depression and a child’s fear for a parent.

Cheol cannot reach his mother. For another child, an unanswered call might be a small frustration. For him, it becomes an urgent reason to get home.

His mother lives with depression, and he is frightened that something has happened while she is alone. The boy sets off, facing obstacles between himself and the person he wants to protect.

That is the starting point of Heartbeat, a short film directed by Lee Chang-dong, arriving globally on Netflix on November 2, 2026. Kim Geon-u plays Cheol, Jeon Do-yeon plays his mother, and Sul Kyung-gu provides his father’s voice.

The emotional stakes come from the gap between what Cheol fears and what he knows. He cannot settle the question by telephone, so reaching home becomes his immediate goal. Every delay leaves that uncertainty unresolved.

There is something painful about the responsibility implied by that journey. A child wants to help someone he loves, yet the problem frightening him is larger than anything he can readily control. Reading the premise this way, the tension lies in how much Cheol believes depends on getting there in time.

The film’s construction keeps viewers close to him. Jeonju’s official programme describes a single-take approach that follows the boy, while Netflix highlights the sustained attention to his face. That choice offers little distance from his worry. Rather than viewing the situation through an adult’s explanation, the audience is invited to stay with the child experiencing it.

Heartbeat is a 2022 film, not a newly produced 2026 feature. It premiered at the 23rd Jeonju International Film Festival, and the festival archive lists a running time of 28 minutes. Its forthcoming Netflix release gives a wider audience access to Lee’s first short film.

Netflix also confirms that the project grew from a suggestion by the World Health Organization and the Beijing Contemporary Art Foundation to explore depression. That background gives the subject context; the film itself follows a particular boy and family.

Its short running time makes it an accessible choice for viewers interested in Korean drama who want a concentrated story. The subject calls for emotional attention: Cheol’s journey begins with a familiar failure to make contact and becomes a deeply personal question about whether someone he loves is safe.

Netflix lists subtitle options including English. The November 2 arrival also precedes Lee’s Possible Love, which reaches the platform on November 6. Viewers can approach Heartbeat through its own immediate concern: a boy is on his way home, and he does not yet know what awaits him.

Trusted sources: Netflix’s release and story announcement · Jeonju festival archive · Jeonju’s story introduction