Eum-ma (2005)

Director:

Sung-Joo Koo

Writer:

Sung-Joo Koo (writer)

Release Date:

7 April 2005 (South Korea)

Genre:

Drama

Plot Keywords:

Road Trip

Cast

Du-shim Ko	...	Mother
Byung-ho Son	...	Eldest son
Ye-ryeong Kim	...	Daughter-in-law
Yu-seok Kim	...	Second son
Hae-eun Lee	...	Eldest daughter
Won-sang Park	...	Son-in-law
Min-jung Ban	...	Second daughter
Yun-jin Nam	...	Third son
Jeong-an Chae	...	Youngest daughter
Tae-ho Kim	...	Fiance
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tae-hoon Kim

Also Known As:

Grandma's Adventure (International: English title)
The Long and Winding Road (International: English title)

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Certification:

South Korea:All

The Song wasn't that great either

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

In the 40th year of her life Mrs. Park developed acute motion sickness with her condition so severe that if she even sets foot in a car she becomes severely sick. The mother of six children and the wife of a drunken womanizer, this condition adds one more thing to her already full table. As time went by she also lost her husband when he accidentally drowned when he fell off the bridge he was urinating over. On her own, Mrs. Park reigns as the matriarch over a diverse family that includes a ginseng farmer, a drifter, a college professor, a wife of a marine, a Buddhist nun, and her youngest girl who is soon to be married.

Because her daughter Eun-young is to be married some 80 kilometers from her home, Mrs. Park has little hope that she will be able to attend her daughter's wedding. However, after receiving some advice from a man pretending to be a scarecrow and her dead husband, Mrs. Park is determined to go to her daughter's wedding. Her family tries to think of a way for her to get to her destination, including a helicopter, a hot-aired balloon, a boat, and carried by a group of marines. However, all of these methods prove futile in the budding stage, so it is decided that Mrs. Park will walk to the wedding accompanied by her various family members during the three or four days that it will take to accomplish the trip. The first day goes by quite well when she travels with her eldest son and his wife, but things begin to become more difficult when her second son arrives especially when he is paired with his older brother.

The Long and Winding Road is an overly saccharine film that beats the fact that one should respect ones mother over the audience's head quite heavy handedly. Yes we know Mrs. Park suffered for her children, but is it really necessary to have a flashback every 10 minutes or so to prove how the mother suffered? It seems that the only purpose of her having so many children in this movie was for flashbacks.

While not a bad movie, The Long and Winding Road is not all that enjoyable as well. It seems a fitting movie for parents to make their children watch with them to make the children feel guilty about the way they treat their parents. Beautifully shot, this film is overall an empty experience.