Genre: Drama, Family
Starring:
Kim Hye-Su
Kim Young-Chan
Ryu Seung-Ryong
Kim Ji-Young
Release year: 2007
Language: Korean
Subtitle: English
SYNOPSIS:
A woman suddenly appears at Jae-su's house. Nothing in her hands, nowhere to go, the woman's empty eyes meet with round eyes of the eleven year-old boy. He regards the woman as another person who'll leave and does not put any effort into getting to know her. Every chance he finds, the boy scolds the woman, saying she eats too much, sleeps like a pig and uses up all of the utilities. The two of them are neck and neck with complaints until she learns of the boy's sad history and he discovers her diabetes. The boy has already had 10 stepmothers in the past. Out of the blue the boy's father shows up and begins beating the boy. She tries to stop him and they find themselves on common ground. A warm relationship between the two begins to build up slowly, not aware of the eventual separation that is just around the corner.
RATING: 9/10
NOTE: What the heck with the critics. I cried DAMN IT! Thanks to the guy who ask me to get this movie. It's a touching movie!
REVIEW:
" ...Of course, the bonding between son and surrogate mother is pretty much inevitable, and certainly “My Eleventh Mother” is not the kind of film that should be watched for unexpected narrative twists and turns, with the plot being predictable and entirely formulaic as is usually the case with melodramas. However, what sets it apart from ever growing pack of similarly themed efforts are the richly developed characters and the hard edge which director Kim brings to the drama. To a large extent the film works thanks to a couple of great lead performances, both from Kim Hye Su, who is excellent and wholly believable as the wretched, washed up bargirl, and Kim Young Chan as the unfortunate little tyke, whose role is far more substantial than the usual cute kid sympathy magnets who tend to populate this kind of material.
The relationship between the two builds in an unconventional and touching manner, from their early misunderstandings, battles over food and petty one-upmanship through to their hesitant affection. As a result of the time spent on character development, their small steps towards happiness and trust are genuinely moving and are certainly well deserved. It goes without saying that the film does settle into the inevitable mother-son dynamic for the last act, complete with declarations of love and devotion, though at least in this case the scenes of over the top emotion have been earned and don’t suddenly appear from nowhere.
The film also benefits from being quite gritty and grounded, especially during the first hour, which is relatively free of sentimental montages and teary scenes, focusing mainly on the two characters and their harsh lives in the run down shack of a home. The budget was obviously quite low, and Kim’s direction is pleasantly naturalistic without ever being too intrusive, even during some of the more obviously orchestrated moments. This gives the film a certain believability and a credible emotional core to build from, which again helps during the last act dive into true melodrama.
Sadly, the tragedy heaped on during the final half hour is a little unnecessary, and Kim goes too far in trying to coach a few extra tears from the viewer, when perhaps a steady hand and sticking to the film’s earlier realism would have served better. Certainly, by this point it already would be hard not to feel sorry for the two, not least since actor Ryu Seung Ryong makes for a truly monstrous figure, a drunken, seemingly irredeemable brute of a crook who lurches in and out of the story, beating and cursing them both, and who is constantly threatening to split them up by selling her as a prostitute. This makes for a certain amount of tension, as whenever he appears the viewer cringes, waiting for the fists to start flying. Unpleasant though these scenes are, they are arguably more valuable to the overall effect of the film, both in terms of keeping it harshly convincing, and in providing a further motivation for the bond that develops between boy and woman.
It is the resulting feeling that “My Eleventh Mother” takes place in the real world rather than some sentimental dreamland that makes it a superior example of the form, and whilst unlikely to win over any viewers whose skin crawls
at the mere thought of melodrama, it should be enjoyed by both devotees and casual film fans. This is largely due to the excellent performance from Kim Hye Su, who manages to elevate the film from tawdry sentiment to being a genuine slice of character driven drama, and who again shows why she is considered one of Korea’s most talented actresses. "
Source: BeyondHollywood
PREVIEW:
RELATED LINKS:
MU:
Part 01 - Part 02 - Part 03 - Part 04 - Part 05 - Part 06 - Part 07
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