Ode to my Father

"Amid the time of Korean War, a young boy's vow to take care of his family marked the beginning of a lifelong promise spanning 60 years." - IMDb

The cast and crew take us on what appears to be an epic journey that spans 60 years from the point of view of Yoon Duk-Soo (Hwang Jeong-min). From the liberation of Korea from Japan to the modern era, this film features a world that you will enjoy to see. 

The Yoon family pictured above attempts to flee before the North invades their hometown. Somehow the father and youngest daughter are separated from the rest of the family. But not before he made his son to promise to take care of the family as he is the head of the family now until he gets back. 

Yoon Duk-So does just that, he goes to Germany in order to work in the mines in order for him to be able to buy his family their own house. He enters the jungles of Vietnam to pay for his sister's wedding risking being shot or worse and much more. Quite selfless, he lives for his family and for the promise he made for his father. We see the world change through his eyes and at times it is a remarkable change. 

Along for the ride is Yoon's best friend Dal-goo (Oh Dal Su) who is the funny man sometimes the voice of reason. He is seen joining Yoon on his adventures from the time that Yoon arrives at his Aunts' home. At times he has a lot of depth, despite his not caring attitude at times. He shows his serious side when he tries to talk Yoon out of going to Vietnam but ends up joining him because he doesn't seem to have fun without him. 

last but not least we have Young-Ja (Yunjin Kim), the woman of Yoon's dream and eventually wife. We first see her when Yoon is in Germany as she is there for work as a nurse. Eventually she falls for the charms of Duk-So and the two eventually marry after a short goodbye. We see her struggle but we also see her truly love her husband to the very end. 

This film features many historical events meanwhile trying to tell the story of a small group of people. Somehow they make the film work and I believe that lies with the hands of the actors. It was the spirit of Hwang Jeong-min, the comedic aspects of Oh Dal-Su, and the struggle/love of Yunjin Kim that truly make this film a success. But we can't neglect the director, Yoon Je-kyoon, who has experience working with some of Koreans top movie talent. Yoon did a great job at the helm, there was a lot of emotion and things felt like fell into the correct spot. At times there were a few scenes that could have been better but it's hard to see them behind all of the good actors present in the making of this film. 

I will suggest this film to anyone that wants to know more about Korean history and true films of Korean cinema as this ranks on my list of best Korean films ever made. 

3.5/5

Cast 

Hwang Jeong-min

 

Also appeared in:

Bloody Tie

Black House

Eleventh Mom

Private Eye

Five Senses of Eros

Blades of Blood

Dancing Queen

New World

In My End is My Beginning

Fists of Legend

Man in Love

Dramas:

The Accidental Couple

The Peninsula

Oh Dal-su 

Also Appeared In:

Oldboy

Crying Fist

Sympathy for Lady Vengeance 

A Bloody Aria

The Host

The Show Must Go On

Baby and I

A Tale of Legendary Libido

Private Eye

Thirst

Girlfriends

Foxy Festival

Hindsight

R2B: Return to Base

Code Name: Jackal

The Attorney

The Pirates

Slow Video

Yunjin Kim

Also Appeared In:

Heartbeat

TV Shows:

Lost