Mothers on a mission: Two women behind the camera bring fierce family tales to theaters

Driven by fierce — and somewhat violent — devotion to their family, two very unconventional mothers are taking center stage in Korean theaters this fall through women directors’ “The Journey to Gyeongju” and “Portrait of a Family.”

“The Journey to Gyeongju” is the first commercial feature by director Kim Mi-jo, whose indie film “Gull” (2020) won the Grand Prize in the Korean competition at the Jeonju International Film Festival, while "Portrait of a Family" is the second feature by Lee Ji-won, who directed the child abuse drama film “Miss Baek” (2018), for which she received numerous awards, including Best New Director at the Baeksang Awards in 2019.

Released on Aug. 26, “The Journey to Gyeongju” is a road movie about Ok-sil, a mother whose youngest daughter was murdered. When the killer is released from prison after eight years, Ok-sil sets out on an unusual family trip to Gyeongju, where her daughter died, determined to take revenge. After her husband, enraged by what he saw as the killer’s lenient punishment, also dies, Ok-sil resolves to seek revenge with her surviving daughters.

Actor Lee Jung-eun — who appeared in Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning “Parasite” (2019) — portrays Ok-sil, alongside actors Kong Hyo-jin, Park So-dam and Lee Yeon.

“If I just kill him, our family can start over,” Ok-sil repeatedly tells herself. But for a woman accustomed to only using her hands for sewing at a clothing repair shop, getting blood on them proves far from easy.

Her remaining daughters — an anxious eldest daughter, played by Kong; a second daughter who dreams of attending law school, portrayed by Park; and a third who is a professional wrestler, played by Lee Yeon — join the journey, along with Ok-sil’s unsuspecting eldest son-in-law and kindergarten-age granddaughter.

But what begins as a trip disguised as a family vacation gradually turns into a real one.

Kim, who portrayed a middle-aged sexual assault survivor’s journey to reclaim her life in “Gull,” both wrote and directed the film.

“I wanted to see someone who seems incapable of going through with it make it all the way to the end,” Kim said of her intentions behind the film.

The idea for the film came to Kim in 2014, when she was walking through the rain with her family at the Daereungwon tomb cluster in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, and felt as though life and death were intersecting around her.

Kim, the youngest of four sisters, also drew on her own family history. The professional wrestler character was inspired by her third-oldest sister, who competed in the sport.

“As the youngest, I caused a huge fuss by saying I wanted to make films without telling my parents, but I was surprised when my oldest sister told me she was always thinking, ‘How can I ever satisfy our mother?’” Kim said. “A mother has as many different faces as she has daughters. I wanted to portray that in the film.”

Lee Jung-eun, whom Kim cast because she was captivated by the actor’s “emotional resonance and depth,” physically threw herself into the role with an intensity reminiscent of her breakout role in “Parasite,” from a fight scene to a car chase.

Since its release, the film has drawn divided reactions. Some viewers have praised its authenticity, saying, “The relationship between the mother and daughters feels real,” and “It’s funny but bittersweet.” Others found it lacking in the pace and thrills typically associated with revenge films.

Before filming, Kim recommended that Lee Jung-eun read books about social disasters, including “The Right Not to Forgive” (2022, translated), “Come Back on Friday” (2015, translated), an oral history documenting 240 days in the lives of families bereaved by the Sewol ferry disaster, and “I Am a Sampoong Survivor” (2021, translated).

Kim also conducted extensive research into cases handled by counseling centers for bereaved families while preparing the film.

“Bereaved families rarely take revenge because, as time passes, they tend to try to bury their pain,” Kim said. “Even so, I wanted audiences to see the choice made by someone who cannot forget — and the face that remains afterward.”

Another mother fiercely devoted to her family takes center stage in director Lee Ji-won’s “Portrait of a Family.”

Released on Wednesday, the family noir features another formidable mother, Gi-sik, portrayed by veteran actor Kim Hae-sook, who turns to Buddhist chants whenever trouble strikes her family. Lee Ji-won even borrowed the name of her paternal grandmother, who lost her husband at a young age and lived the rest of her life as a strong-willed matriarch. The director wrote a handwritten letter to the picture’s eventual lead, widely known for playing maternal roles, to persuade her to take the part.

The story centers on a celebrity couple, played by Ryu Seung-ryong and Ha Ji-won, whose marriage falls apart after the appearance of a daughter, portrayed by Kim Si-a, born from the husband’s extramarital affair.

Whenever Gi-sik, the husband’s mother, must confront powerful people over matters involving her children or grandchildren, she pulls out her finest fur coat even in the middle of summer, determined to show them that her “precious children should never feel intimidated.”

She may appear tough, but she is deeply caring. Unable to stop worrying about her divorced daughter-in-law, who has no family of her own, Gi-sik cooks and sends her yukgaejang (spicy beef soup) that she knows her former daughter-in-law loves. Her devotion to her family is quiet yet powerful.

The Korean title “Bi-gwang” comes from a card in hwatu, a traditional Korean card game. The bigwang card cannot score a full point on its own, but is essential to completing the highest-scoring combination.

In the same way, the film portrays a family whose members become far stronger when they come together.

When Gi-sik’s granddaughter, now a teenager, finds herself in trouble, the estranged couple joins forces again, regardless of how far their own lives have fallen.

In a story that may leave viewers wondering whether such fiercely devoted families can still exist in today’s unforgiving world, Gi-sik serves as the emotional anchor that makes its less convincing moments easier to embrace.

“People can falter in an instant, and sometimes that’s how relationships begin,” director Lee said. “I tried to express that visually.”

Early September is often considered an offseason for Korean theaters, though films that stay in theaters long enough can benefit from the lucrative Chuseok holiday period. It is also rare to see commercial genre films by women opening side by side, as they are this year.

“These films appear to carry on a distinctive tradition in Korean cinema that combines genre conventions with a filmmaker’s individual voice,” film journalist Lee Hwa-jung said. “The trend toward genre-driven films has also played a role, as conventional dramas have found less room in the low- and mid-budget movie market.”

“Today’s audiences also value the scale of a well-developed cinematic world, as seen in films like ‘The Odyssey’ and ‘Spider-Man,’” film critic Huh Nam-woong said. “Women behind the camera may also need to build cinematic worlds that can appeal to a broader audience.”

BY NA WON-JEONG [[email protected]]