Movie 2006.04.25 - Jibeuro a.k.a. The Way Home

A simply story about the power of unconditional love. The movie started with this mother depositing her 7-year old son Sang-woo with the 77-year old grandmother in the remote village of Youndgong, Choonbuk, so that she can concentrate in looking for a job back in Seoul. Apparently, the mother never taught her kid the importance of respect and filial piety. With his electronic toys and cans of Coke and Spam (addicted mass-mailer?), he starts bossing the grandma around, and calling her stupid and retard. I was so irritated with the spoiled brat, I almost turned the TV off. I'm not a particularly violent guy, but that time I could've smacked the boy so hard he'll fly back into the past. The grandma's so old and shrunken and stooped and frail that one can't help but want to help her in every way. But not our brat. All he does is eat and play with his GameBoy, and rollerskate inside the wooden hut, and grandma has to clean up after him. One day, his GameBoy ran out of batteries, so he steals grandma's hair clasp while she was sleeping to sell. In a bad mood for he was not able to get the batteries, he drew graffitis on the walls and hides grandma's shoes. Instead of getting angry, she took it all in stride, walking the rocky mountain paths with her bare feet. She even bought him a new pair, and he discards them. I tell you, it'll be a joy to smack that kid.

One time, grandma asked Sang-woo what he wants to eat. "Pizza, hamburger, Kentucky Fried Chicken." Grandma probably didn't know what he's talking about, but she knows chicken. So she walks to town to buy a chicken and walks back at night in the driving rain. She boils the chicken in a pot and wakes up Sang-woo who is fast asleep, probably having wonderful dreams about KFC. One look at the chicken, and he bawls his heart out. Serves him right. He eventually got used to life in the village, threading needles for grandma, hanging up laundry on the clothesline, and going to the city with grandma to sell produce. Although he did leave grandma's clothes on the clothesline when it started raining, and he abandoned grandma in the city, so she had to walk all the way back with a heavy bag because she wanted to save the bus fare so the brat can have money to buy his batteries. It was so touching, even the kid had to cry.

Most Kleenex moment of the movie? A few days before Sang-woo is supposed to go back to Seoul, he started teaching grandma how to read and write. She's illiterate and a bit simple-minded, so she can't learn anything at all, which made Sang-woo all the more frustrated to the point of tears. Now all of a sudden, why would the brat want to teach grandma? Later we see the boy hand grandma some cards that he made himself - with drawings of grandma being sick or feeling lonely with words saying "I'm sick" or "I miss you" or "I'm lonely". Grandma is supposed to mail a card to him should the occasion arise, so he knows when to come. Awwwww.

Written and directed by Jeong-hyang Lee.