Lee Kangsik, serving a life sentence for a double murder, is unexpectedly granted a one-day parole to see his elderly mother and the son he’s never known. After 15 years in jail, he finds much changed in Korea – including the slang spoken by young people like his son Joonsuk, now a high-school senior. At first, things look grim. Mrs Lee has senile dementia, and the taciturn Joonsuk is her sole carer; the boy has nothing to say to his father. But then the emotional frost starts to thaw…
Jang Jin takes a potentially tear-soaked storyline and loads it with his familiar preoccupations: the softening of a macho man, the shortcomings of religious faith, a chastening twist ending. Advisory note: Hermann Hesse’s novel Demian plays a significant role!
Film details
- Country of production
- South Korea
- Year
- 2007
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2015
- Length
- 109"
- Medium/Format
- 35mm
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