Kazoku no kuni (2012)

Based on the director's own experience, Our Homeland follows a Korean family living in Japan, of which the father (Masane Tsukayama) decided to take North Korean nationality because of his ... See full summary »

Director:

Yong-hi Yang

Writer:

Yong-hi Yang (screenplay)

Stars:

Sakura Andô, Arata Iura, Ik-Joon Yang

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sakura Andô	...	Rie
Arata Iura	...	Sonho (as Arata)
Ik-Joon Yang	...	Yang
Kotomi Kyôno	...	Suni
Tatsushi Ohmori	...	Hongi
Jun Murakami	...	Juno
Shogo	...	Chori
Sadaharu Shiota
Shinsuke Suzuki
Maho Yamada
Kumi Imura
Mutsuo Yoshioka
Yûko Genkaku
Sujin Kim
Tarô Suwa	...	Tejo

Storyline

Based on the director's own experience, Our Homeland follows a Korean family living in Japan, of which the father (Masane Tsukayama) decided to take North Korean nationality because of his strong belief decades ago. In 1997, Sonho (Arata Iura), the son of the family who was sent to North Korea under a "repatriation program" with the promise of a "paradise" free of discrimination, returns to Japan for the first time in 25 years to seek treatment for his brain tumor due to the difference in medical technology between the two countries. Allowed to stay for only three months and closely monitored by a North Korean officer (Yang Ik-Joon), Sonho is welcomed and embraced by his family and old friends but his father, who is still sticking to the belief but also feeling guilty about sending his son to North Korea at the same time, while Sonho's younger sister Rie (Sakura Andô) develops the aversion to North Korea and its political ideas.

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Plot Keywords:

north korea | korean in japan | three word title

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [jp]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese Korean

Release Date:

4 August 2012 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Our Homeland

Filming Locations:

Senju Yanagi-cho, Adachi-ku, Tokyo, Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

Star Sands, Slow Learner

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

Japan's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 85th Academy Awards 2013.

User Reviews

Great film!

Just attended the first U.S. screening at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Very satisfying film! Director did an amazing job on a low budge and completed filming in 2 weeks. This movie proves powerful truly satisfying & interesting films can be made without famous actors and big budget!!

The film is based on the Director's true childhood experience of seeing her family separated by a deceptive government who made false promises to its People.

Acting is superb and very convincing. Great story that carries you and holds your attention; leaving you with a new sense of appreciation for our personal & political freedoms. Highly recommend see this film.