Treeless Mountain (2008)

In Seoul, Korea, two sisters must look after one another when their mother leaves them to search for their estranged father.

Director:

So Yong Kim

Writer:

So Yong Kim

Stars:

Chae Gil Byung, Jung Gil Ja, Shin Hyun Je

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Chae Gil Byung	...	Pedestrian in City
Jung Gil Ja	...	Minoo's Mom
Shin Hyun Je	...	Bus Driver
Kim Mi Jung	...	Hyun's Mom
Hee-yeon Kim	...	Jin
Mi-hyang Kim	...	Big Aunt
Song-hee Kim	...	Bin
Soo-ah Lee	...	Mom
Sung Sook Lee	...	Stall Lady
Lee Hyun Seo	...	Hyun
Park Boon Tak	...	Grandma
Lee Kang Won	...	Neighbor Lady
Ha Min Woo	...	Minoo
Kim Il Woo	...	Man with Cellphone
Lee Byung Yong	...	Grandpa

Storyline

What is the nature of childhood resilience? Sisters Jin and Bin, ages 6 and 3, live with their mother. Jin likes school and does well. One day, their mother leaves the girls with their father's sister, a woman they do not know. The mother seeks a reconciliation with their father. She leaves them a plastic piggy bank, promising to return when the bank is full. The girls scrub and clean for their aunt, a tippler who's often cranky and complaining. She gives them a few coins for their work. They earn more money catching, grilling, and selling grasshoppers. They miss their mother. The bank fills. They watch for her from a mound of dirt. Will she return? Will stoic faces give way to a smile?

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Plot Keywords:

girl | piggy bank | aunt | seoul korea | grasshopper | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [fr]

Country:

USA South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

27 August 2009 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Los senderos de la vida

Filming Locations:

Seoul, South Korea

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$5,014 (USA) (24 April 2009)

Gross:

$60,023 (USA) (18 September 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Parts and Labor, Soandbrad, Strange Loop Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min 89 min 89 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Excellent film

This film is about two girls left on their own, to their own devices, trying to survive the mental burdens -if not the physical ones as well- of being abandoned by their mother. It is a serene, moderately-paced, well-crafted film. The director's ability to get such high quality performance from two little girls is nothing short of amazing. As to its general mood, Treeless Mountain is a beautiful film which can, at certain times, be sad and heart-breaking, and at others cheerful and hopeful, presenting us a myriad of emotions throughout its duration, and which depicts how hope endures and how children view and can adapt to changing conditions and environment. To sum it up, this fine piece of Korean cinema is an innocent and emotional piece of art which I would sincerely recommend to anyone.