"The Way Home" is a simple Korean fable with a simple moral which is so well intentioned that to criticize it would seem irreverent. Nonetheless, the film is too simple for a 90 minute run unless you have time for the modicum of entertainment it provides and a moral which trite at best. A pleasing watch for those peaceful souls who have the patience and time for a simple story about the conversion of a very annoying selfish kid to a loving and caring child by a grotesquely aged granny who shows him the kind of patience required to watch a movie about the conversion of a very annoying selfish kid to a loving and caring child...etc. (C+)
Plot summary
Seven-year-old Sang-woo is left with his grandmother in a remote village while his mother looks for work. Born and raised in the city, Sang-woo quickly comes into conflict with his old-fashioned grandmother and his new rural surroundings. Disrespectful and selfish, Sang-woo lashes out in anger, perceiving that he has been abandoned. He tries to trade his grandmother's only treasure, a hairpin, for a video game batteries; he throws his food and he throws tantrums. When Sang-woo's mother finds work and finally returns for him, Sang-woo has become a different boy. Through his grandmother's boundless patience and devotion, he learns to embrace empathy, humility and the importance of family.
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Reviewed by
Killing with kindness doesn't always work.
Reviewed by
Choco-pies and batteries can be so affirming.
With his mother forced to go out and find work, Seven-year-old spoilt brat Sang-woo is taken to go and live with his grandmother out at some remote village. His grandmother is mute, she's crippled by old age and years of hard graft, Sang-woo is therefore thrust into a world that he just can't comprehend. No Kentucky chicken or the niceties he is used to getting at the shriek of his voice, he is most certainly a fish out of water in the extreme.
Jibeuro is as simple as it gets, but that's the films strength, working on very little dialogue and confining itself to barely a handful of characters, its point is made thru a series of wonderful situations between Sang-woo and his grandmother. The first half of the piece literally had me wanting to throttle Sang-woo, he's actually a villain with very few redeeming features, but as things roll on the film engrosses with its subject without ever being heavy handed. Not trite or sickly, Jibeuro knows what it's about and gets in does its job without fanfares or bunting.
The performances are great and the score from Dae-hong Kim & Yang-hee Kim is just delightful, Jeong-hyang Lee directs with simplicity of ease and Hong-shik Yoon's cinematography frames the remoteness with pleasing on the eye ease. It's a film that was a monster hit with Korean's back on its release, it's not hard to see why because it's a simply lovely piece of work, so give it a go and take in its message. 8/10
Reviewed by
A fantastic warm story
You should not always judge a movie by its covers! "Jibeuro" or "The Way Home" is an amazingly beautiful movie. The story is heartfelt and warm, touching and to the point.
The characters in the movie, despite being limited to a few central characters, are very well portrayed and the actors/actresses really bring their roles to life on the screen.
If the story of this movie does not move you or touches you, then you are without a heart. It is one of the more beautiful movies that I have watched. "The Way Home" tells a touching story of differences between youth and elderly, the importance of values in life, and it does so with compelling sincerity that will leave you in tears. Throughout the movie I grew angry at the child, at how he could treat his loving grandmother that way, and my heart went out for the grandmother and her endless love and acceptance. This movie is one of a kind!
I was told to watch this movie, and were somewhat reluctant, given the cover of the movie and what it read on the back cover. But I sat down and saw it, and I was moved. This is definitely a heartfelt movie that will stay with you for a long, long time.