High Points: Very much wonderful movie except for the notion that happiness in life always should be preceded and followed by sad things. For father and son relationship, see "Mutt Boy, 'Ddonggae'"
Directed by Lee Jeongcheol, this movie is a portrayal of the archetypal yearning among the three family members composed of a father, an ex-convict daughter and her 10-year-old little brother. The mother died six years ago. The father Juseok (played by Ju Hyeon) is a fishmonger. The daughter Jeongeun (played by Suae), ironically thinks that the life in prison is happier than that of her home. The story begins when Jeongeun returns home three years after she is imprisoned for embezzlement. The father, however, does not and could not greet her warmly, although he feels somewhat relieved. Everything goes athwart when a guy named Changwon visits the father. Changwon threatens Juseok to give him the money the daughter still owes him. The father feels helplessness at the face of the challenges inflicted upon him. The story runs into climax, and in a final twist, the father suffers from an incurable disease does all he can to save the family from the possible danger. Although the father and the daughter raise tensions throughout, the movie every now and them expresses their deep affection towards each other. |