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THE WAY HOME Send This Review to a Friend
A gem from Korea, "The Way Home" thrives on simplicity as it spins a story with understated purity. If anyone has loved a grandmother or is a grandmother, this charming tale should stir emotions.
The plot of "The Way Home," written and directed by Lee Jeong-hyang, is compact. A harried city mother, played by Dong Hyo-Hee, who needs some time off, takes her young son Sang-woo (Yoo Seung-Ho) to live for a time with her mother in the country. The boy is sullen from the start, behaving obnoxiously and not wanting to go. He's angry on the bus and when they get off, he kicks his mother repeatedly in protest. But she's firm and he has to go along.
When Sang-woo meets his grandmother, his behavior is more anti-social, even mean. He mocks the stooped, elderly woman and makes fun of her for being mute. It doesn't take an oracle to know that the brat and his elder will bond before the movie is over. The pleasure lies in the telling. There are fleeting references to the past, and we can supply notions about a back story involving the mother's difficulties trying to raise a son on her own and the boy being resentful and spoiled by modern influences and the emphasis on what's popular. He wants his grandmother to supply his favorite food--Kentucky fried chicken, hamburgers etc. When she drags herself to the village--every step is a chore--to return with a chicken that she cooks in a pot, Sang-woo wails, "That's not Kentucky fried chicken," and he refuses to eat.
Gradually, as a result of the grandmother's patience and kindness and the self-assurance the boy gets when he acquires playmates, Sang-woo begins to improve his behavior and an understanding develops so that he is sad when he has to leave and sets up his own means for maintaining the connection with his grandmother. The conclusion is heartwarming to say the least. The film is very attuned to the idea of the young and the old being able to establish a relationship.
Kim Eul-Boon, a villager tapped to play the grandmother part, has a great weather-worn face and although entirely without acting experience, she nonetheless leaves a vivid impression. Yoo Seung-Ho as the boy moves convincingly from his brat stage to becoming more civilized. Director Jeong-hyang knew how to get the most out of her cast so that the film is believable and natural. This is complemented by the sumptuous photography that makes the country setting realistic and beautiful, capturing the sense of the area's remoteness.
"The Way Home" is a prime little film that's a welcome find and stands out movingly amid more widely advertised, packaged entertainment. A Paramount Classics release.
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