This is a film that focuses more on being artistic rather than telling a story. There is little dialog, and the family connections of the group are not well explained. The characters spend a lot of their time just improvising dialog or staring into space, or at objects close by. There is little chemistry between the two male leads so their "relationship" does not come across as realistic. The scenery is beautiful but the story is poorly told! The movie never really achieves its full potential.
Keywords: countrysidefarm lifelgbt parenting
Plot summary
Jin Woo, who resides on a sheep ranch in Hwacheon, Gangwon-do, lives a quiet life with his daughter Seol. Ranch owner Joong Man and his daughter Moon Kyeong treat them as family. Soon after, Jin Woo's male friend Hyun Min arrives at the ranch, and reveals that the two have been long-time lovers. They dream of living happily with Seol in this peaceful place. However, with Jin Woo's twin sister Eun Young's visit, the conflict begins. In fact, Seol is Eun Young's daughter but Jin Woo has been raising her because Eun Young disappeared. Like the close-up scene of the sheep wool in the beginning, A Far Place is a story that is not noticed from afar but revealed when looked closely. The local folks, who seemed friendly and gentle, show their true colors, and become exclusive and discriminatory as they learn about the truth of the two men. Even the intentions of family members, who thought they knew each other well, feel like 'a far place.' Like Jin Woo's mind, the beautiful autumn landscape of Gangwon-do turns into harsh winter, but the film believes there is still a ray of hope.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Boring and too "Arty"!
Slow and unsatisfactory
In remote rural Korea, Hyun-min works for a sheep / cattle farmer, and has become part of the "family". He also has his kindergarten-age niece Seol, who he prefer to stay around the farm with him. This carefully-curated life starts to unravel when his college boyfriend shows up for an extended visit, creating gossip among the locals. Then his twin sister shows up, wanting to reclaim Seol, who she left "temporarily" in his care 5 years ago.
The young girl is nicely bubbly and innocent. The boyfriends are mismatched, in that they don't look like they belonged in college together. There is some nice scenery that calls for a big screen (I saw this in digital on my computer). However, the story is slow-moving, and I find the ending unsatisfactory.