If you and your family are looking to head down to the local multiplex this weekend, be sure to choose one that the entire family can enjoy.
And with this year`s Chuseok falling (unfortunately) on a weekend, you and yours just might want to cross out the grueling pilgrimage back home off the itinerary -- probably to the cheers of the wife and kids.
With that said, the entire family can be in for a nice evening at the cinemas -- more so with a heart-tugging picture currently playing at multiplexes nationwide.
"Aeja," is a typical mother-daughter dramedy that hits all the right notes as far as tugging at heartstrings are concerned.
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The film is a bit of a manipulative one at that, but that`s to be expected in films like these.
The important thing is whether it executes that formula convincingly enough for viewers to suspend their disbelief -- and this film does.
"Aeja" begins full of pleasantries and humor with the quirky portrayal of high school girls in Busan that are full of mischief, rife with thick local accents.
The title character is played by the always lovable Choi Kang-hee, a straight-A student with dreams of becoming a famous writer one day. She`s perfectly content with her teenage life -- if only her headstrong mother played with subtle charisma by Kim Young-ae, would just leave her alone.
Here, the whole formula of the estranged daughter kicks into gear and she moves to Seoul straight after graduating high school, avoiding contact with her family for years.
Jump ahead 10-years, Aeja, now 29 years old, is disappointed with how her life has turned out.
She has a philandering beau and has failed to make a literary debut despite years of effort. Refusing to give up, she directs all of her energy into a writing contest. It offers a large cash prize and may very well land her that job that could open the doors for her career to take-off.
Then one day, Aeja receives a call from her mother that she may only have a few months to live.
After years of estrangement, she returns and begins to learn new things about her mother, rebuilding a shattered relationship --- before it is too late.
(kws@heraldcorp.com)
By Song Woong-ki