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The Way Home (2002)
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Reviews Counted: 54
Fresh: 40
Rotten:14
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Consensus: A simple story told with much warmth and compassion.
Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for mild thematic elements and language
Runtime: 88 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Theatrical Release:Nov 15, 2002 Limited
Box Office: $229,073
Synopsis: This subtle and bucolic Korean film is "dedicated to all grandmas" by its director Jeong-hyang Lee. The story concerns bratty, selfish seven-year-old Sang-Woo (Seung-Ho Yoo) who is sent out into... This subtle and bucolic Korean film is "dedicated to all grandmas" by its director Jeong-hyang Lee. The story concerns bratty, selfish seven-year-old Sang-Woo (Seung-Ho Yoo) who is sent out into the mountains to live with his ancient, mute, partially deaf grandmother (Eul-Boon Kim) while his stressed-out single mom looks for work back in the city. Angry and resentful, the boy is bored with his new life of simple food, sleeping on the floor in a one-room hut, and having nowhere to buy batteries for his dying handheld video game. Eventually Grandma's humble patience and unconditional love get through to him, and there's plenty of space for comic vignettes and moving moments of stillness along the way. The boy's hyper world of candy and toys contrasts with grandma's slow, natural environment and allows for contemplation on our rapidly changing culture. This is the second film from Ms. Lee, whose cast consists largely of inexperienced locals from the village where she shot the film. Eul-Boon Kim is a particularly amazing discovery as the grandmother; she had never even seen a movie before being cast. [More]
Starring: Eul-Boon Kim, Seung-Ho Yoo, Kyung-Hoon Min, Eun-Kyung Yim
Starring: Eul-Boon Kim, Seung-Ho Yoo, Kyung-Hoon Min, Eun-Kyung Yim, Hyo-Dee Dong
Director: Jeong-hyang Lee
Director: Jeong-hyang Lee
Screenwriter: Jeong-hyang Lee
Producer: Woo-Hyun Whang, Jae-Woo Whang
Composer: Dae-Hong Kim, Yang-Hee Kim
Studio: Paramount Classics
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Reviews for The Way Home
Thanks to confident filmmaking and a pair of fascinating performances, the way to that destination is a really special walk in the woods.
"The Way Home" is a commercial film that offers no cultural exchange, yet the silent performance of Eul-boon Kim enforces a visual storytelling style and both of these elements are strong even though "The Way Home" ultimately disappoints.
Eul-Boon Kim's soulful portrayal of the illiterate, deaf-mute grandmother illuminates the dignity of her demeanor and the sad resignation in her eyes.
The film has good actors and enough quirky moments to keep it interesting.
A sentimental hybrid that could benefit from the spice of specificity.
The film is meant to be simple and charming. Unfortunately, it's simple and boring.
Both heartbreaking and heartwarming...just a simple fable done in an artless sytle, but it's tremendously moving.
Writer/director Jeong-hyang Lee, in only her second feature, establishes a situation rife with gentle humor and honest, unaffected love.
[The kid's] selfishness is difficult to watch at times, but if you have patience on the level of Granny's, the payoff is big.
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