|
 It’s
an odd thing when a page from a history book that’s been floating in
your head since childhood comes to life on the big screen. So it is
with cinematic renderings of stories of war and its aftermath. The
incidents may have happened decades, or even centuries ago, but a
well-written, captivating film can transport a viewer right into the
heart of it, at least as a spectator.
So it
is with Ode to My Father, a tale of a Korean man nearing the end of his
life, looking back on the things he endured and wondering at his place
in it all. In his 70th decade, Deok-su is known for his stubborn
ownership of the “imported goods” shop in the market and his fierce
temper. This is revealed when agents come to persuade Deok-su to sell
the store to developers. That he is keeping the entire market from
selling out makes no difference to him; it’s his store and they’ll have
to pry it out of his cold, dead hand to get it. This tenacious grip on
the things that mean much to Deok-su began early in life. We’re
transported to the year 1950, in the North Korean port city of Hungnam.
Deok-su’s family, including his parents, two infant siblings and toddler
sister are preparing to flee for their lives. The Chinese army is ready
to invade and the only hope of the townspeople lies with the US Navy
freighters ready to depart for their troops’ safety. As they run for
the sea, Deok-su is reminded over and over not to let go of his sister’s
hand by his parents, who’ve packed all they own onto their backs.
Trying to stick together in the stampede of people on the brink of
rescue, the inevitable occurs and the little boy is left with nothing
more than the hem of his sister’s dress in his hands. Before their
father goes back to look for her, knowing he might not return, he
charges Deok-su to act as the head of the household in his place and to
always put their family first.
Having
made it to their aunt’s Gukje Market store in Busan, the family lives
the hardscrabble existence of poor refugees. The guilt and
responsibility for what happened during their escape haunts Deok-su all
his young life, as we watch time pass and his hard efforts and
sacrifices to keep his family, not only together, but thriving. When
his younger brother’s scholastic achievements gain him acceptance into a
good university, Deok-su takes a dangerous tour overseas, labouring in a
German coal mine to pay for the tuition. The conditions are miserable
and hazardous, but a chance encounter with Yeong-ja, a Korean student
nurse, changes his life. Back home with a bride and growing family of
his own, Deok-su cannot rest until all his siblings are settled and when
his younger sister complains of being unable to make a good marriage
because of their poverty, Deok-su takes work in the middle of war-torn
Vietnam, a decision that terrifies his wife, who cannot understand his
constant sacrifices or the ghosts that drive him. All Deok-su knows is
his promise to his father so many years ago and the heartache of not
being able to save his little sister. Like so many separated during the
Korean War, Deok-su’s family never gave up hope that they might somehow
be reunited with their missing father and sister. Deok-su’s family, one
of millions of separated refugees in search of their loved ones, prays
that a television show dedicated to reconciling those broken families,
might finally bring them all together.
Ode to
My Father is an epic odyssey that feels so personal, it is impossible
not to be engrossed in the emotion of the story. Even if the finer
points of the historical aspects aren’t as well-known to western eyes,
it is universally moving. Yet, for all its inherent melodrama, director
Yoon Je-kyun {Sex is Zero, Haeundae, Dancing Queen} and writer
Park Soo-jin (Dancing Queen) manage to fill the script with so
much humour, intelligence and likeability, that Ode to My Father feels
less of a manipulative or contrived tearjerker and far more genuine and
organic. Add to that the film’s excellent pacing and thrilling
renderings of historical events; the 1950 Hungnam Evacuation, the German
recruitment of Korean coal miners in the 1960s, and the Fall of Saigon
viewed from Deok-su’s Forrest Gump-ish “you were there” perspective.
There are also clever inserts; like our discovery of the reason why
older Deok-su is singer Nam Jin’s biggest fanboy, a perplexing shoe
shine with future Hyundai car magnate, Jung Ju-young, a run-in with an
eccentric fabric seeker, Korea’s first male fashion designer, Andre Kim
{Kim Bong-nam}, and teaching young ssireum wrestler, Lee Man-gi {Man-ki}
to respect his elders. Now while I said this was not a manipulative
tearjerker, that doesn’t mean one should attend Ode to My Father without
a Costco-sized pack of Kleenex. Director Yoon Je-kyun chooses his
moments when it comes to turning on the waterworks and occasionally
there are floods. In some cases, he practically telegraphs what’s going
to happen (as in the case of the parents constantly reminding little
Deok-su to hold tight to his sister’s hand) and one might even call
it predictable, but Yoon has invested so much in making us feel for and
enjoy the characters, there’s no shame in the lack of surprises or the
mass of sniffles.
So
much of that likability and the steadiness of the high level of emotion
comes from the film’s excellent cast, led by Hwang Jung-min (The
Unjust, Dancing Queen) as Deok-su. Hwang gives his best portrayal
yet as the nose-to-the-grindstone youth with the weight of the world on
his shoulders, who grows into a true and sturdy patriarch, and
eventually into a crusty, “get-off-my-lawn”-type grandfather who
delights in the teaching his little grandchildren scandalous things to
shock their parents. Everything about the performance is on point, from
his youthful brashness and determination when the chance to go to the
coal mines is offered, to the shyness of Deok-su’s first love, where
simply shaking his lady’s hand is enough to send him whooping through
the air. We believe his refusal to give up when it comes to doing for
his family, no matter what the risk, and yet he does so with a good
nature and no regrets; it’s merely what he must do as the head of the
household, as his father would’ve done. Hwang Jung-min seems to have
such a great time as the older Deok-su; relishing the lack of restraint
that seniority gives the elderly, and his posture and movements as the
septuagenarian are completely convincing (despite the sometimes
foam-rubbery ageing prosthetics). In other films, I’ve sometimes
felt there’s a laid-back affect to Hwang Jung-min’s acting that keeps me
from truly enjoying his work, but there’s none of that here and he is
completely given over to the role in effort and energy.
Kim
Yunjin, best known as Sun from TV’s Lost, also does some time travelling
as Yeong-ja; from the lonely young nurse in Germany, to the tough mother
trying to protect her family, and finally as the loving mate of her
cranky old man in their twilight years. There is a moment early in her
role that could have easily been lost to the schmaltz as she pleads for
Deok-su‘s life in the coal mines, but Kim is so compelling to watch that
she elevates what really was a pretty cheesy scene. She is a match for
Hwang Jung-min and one feels they push each other toward excellence in
their scenes together. I also very much enjoyed Oh Dal-su as Deok-su’s
best pal and partner through the crazy adventures of their lives. Oh is
given the broader comedy to run with and he’s got the perfect level on
it; from the evolving hairdos of the times, to his dream-come-true
turned nightmare encounter with a zaftig German matron; we understand
why he and Deok-su are still sitting on the bench, teasing each other
after so many years.
Schmaltzy? Maybe. Predictable? Could be. Sentimental? Unabashedly.
Yet I could not find not fault with any of those things, because Ode to
My Father does much more than just tug at the heartstrings. Its
perspective on the events of a not-long-ago history and how it still
affects people with us today, is an eye-opener. I appreciated learning
- even in this fictional arena - about the lives of Koreans who might’ve
shared similar experiences as Deok-su’s family and their challenges
during that very turbulent time. Yet those points were made with so
much humour and amiability that the film never felt like a harangue or
lecture.
Immensely entertaining, heartfelt and brilliantly acted, Ode to My
Father is a great start to this new movie viewing year.
~ The
Lady Miz Diva
January 9th, 2015
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