by Lisa Nystrom
Worth: $14.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Oh Min-ae, Lim Se-mi, Heo Jin, Ha Yoon-kyung
Intro:
Beautifully played by an entirely female led cast, the story takes great strides in challenging the traditional definitions of family, while at the same time keeping the core narrative simple, honest, and genuine.
Directed by Lee Mi-rang, this adaptation of the bestselling novel by Korean author Kim Hye-jin is more than just another mother/daughter tearjerker pulling at the heartstrings, but rather, a delicate portrait of what it means to truly care for another person.
When Green (Lim Se-mi) moves back under her mother’s roof, she knew the arrangement would come with its own struggles. A university professor in her 30s, outspoken and passionate in her beliefs, Green butts heads with her hardworking and deeply traditional mother (Oh Min-ae) over curfews and cooking, but what leads them to breaking point is Green’s mother’s wish for her daughter to marry a good man, whereas Green is perfectly happy in her long term relationship with her partner, Rain (Ha Yoon-kyung), who just so happens to be a woman.
More than just a working-class mother confronted with a daughter whose LGBTQIA+ lifestyle and higher education doesn’t suit her conservative worldview, Lee digs deeper than the clichéd surface level conflict and instead sheds a light on a very real issue: neither same-sex marriage nor civil unions are recognised in South Korea, and adoption is also illegal for homosexual couples. The concept of a future with no family to care for you is a deep-seated fear for Green’s mother (only known as Mother throughout the film), working long hours in a retirement hospital and witnessing the blatant cruelty and disregard faced by women who have no children to speak up for them.
Beautifully played by an entirely female led cast, the story takes great strides in challenging the traditional definitions of family, while at the same time keeping the core narrative simple, honest, and genuine.
