Director Oh Jung-min of “House of the Seasons.” (Indiestory)
For “House of the Seasons” director Oh Jung-min, a family is like tofu.
“The process of making tofu is quite arduous. You have to soak beans for a long time, boil them, grind them and filter until they become softer, but only a small amount of tofu is made at the end. Plus, you have to be careful not to put too much salt,” director Oh told The Korea Herald in an interview in Seoul on Sept. 12.
The 35-year-old director said that’s why he made the characters in his debut feature film “House of the Seasons” make tofu as the family business.
The movie begins with the family’s women -- grandma, daughter, daughter-in-law, granddaughter -- making traditional Korean pancakes in a steamy living room, preparing for the annual ancestral rite. In another room, men are playing Korean card games. It is only when Sung-jin (Kang Seung-ho), the grandson, arrives that the grandma (Son Suk) finally turns on the air conditioner.
As Sung-jin declares that he won’t succeed the family business, the generational gap and differences between family members become crystal clear -- the youngest daughter has moved to Vietnam, which her dad detests as a communist country; Sung-jin’s dad, the eldest son, still resents his father for his unwillingness to give him the business; an aunt is a devoted Christian despite her parents preparing food to put on the ancestral rite table their entire lives.
Sung-jin (Kang Seung-ho) refuses to continue the family business in “House of the Seasons.” (Indiestory)
A scene from “House of the Seasons” (Indiestory)
The movie becomes even more blunt and lifelike following the sudden death of the grandmother and the ensuing fights among family members over money.
“(The movie) deals with a story that is common, something universal among families in Korea,” Oh said.
“Family is difficult to define. It’s both love and hatred. Like a famous quote says, family is a comedy from a distance but also a tragedy when seen close-up,” he added.
Thus the movie’s promotional phrase: “When together, (family is) brutal, but apart, there's room to live.”
Bluntly portraying relationships between family members and their difficulties in understanding one another was a major topic in Oh’s previous short films.
“If family was something that is easy to explain, I wouldn’t have made it into a film. Maybe I kept making films about family because I still wanted to understand more about it. Once my curiosities are satisfied, I think I won’t make films about family,” he added.
The movie won three awards at the 28th Busan International Film Festival last year, after being invited to various overseas film festivals such as the 71st Sydney Film Festival and the 43rd Vancouver International Film Festival.
“House of the Seasons” hit local theaters on Sept. 11. English subtitles are available for all screenings at KU Cinema in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, and Emu Cinema in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
This article is the 24th in a series that introduces Korea’s new and emerging actors and directors. -- Ed.
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