 Kim had her breakthrough in 2009 when she starred opposite actor-director Yang Ik-june in the gritty, low-budget drama "Breathless".The film won critical acclaim both at home and abroad, receiving more than 20 awards from the international festival circuit, and attracting audiences to theaters in numbers unprecedented for an indie film.Kim was widely praised for her portrayal of a spunky high school girl with an abusive past who bonds with a neighborhood thug, earning her a Best Actress award from the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival, Best New Actress honors from the Blue Dragon Film Awards and Grand Bell Awards, and a Best Supporting Actress nomination from the Asian Film Awards.