'Long and Winding Road' Loses Audience Along the Way

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter


Ko Du-sim plays a woman in her 70s who sets out on a long journey to attend her daughter's wedding in "Long and Winding Road".

They take care of their family, are busy with all the housework and work on the farm all day long. Mothers have no choice but to sacrifice everything for their family's happiness.

The latest feature film "Long and Winding Road (Omma)" sheds light on this venerable notion of motherhood, which may be a synonym for "sacrifice" in the family.

But the film falls short of moving audiences. It feels more pedantic than sentimental, so it is not even a typical tearjerker.

Directed by Koo Seong-joo, the film revolves around a woman in her 70s, who sets out on a long journey to attend her youngest daughter's wedding. But because of her carsickness, she has to walk for four days with some of her family members.

In the film, seasoned actress Ko Doo-sim plays the mother, who has three sons and three daughters. After her husband dies when she is in her 40s, "sacrifice" becomes her middle name, a theme tediously embellished upon throughout the movie.

As the story develops, the characters on the journey find the importance of each other and the value of family while they struggle to get to their destination. On the way, there are many scenes when the characters recall their mother and break into tears.

But overall, the movie can be enjoyable because of the experienced actors, who make their characters come alive.

Ko, who has given impressive performances as mothers in previous films and television dramas, including last year's movie "My Mother, the Mermaid", again gives a brilliant performance, especially for someone who is still shy of 70 by a good 20 years.

Other actors such as Son Byeong-ho from "The President's Barber" and Kim Yoo-seok from "Possible Changes", who play the first and second sons, respectively, create several scenes that will have audiences laugh out loud.

All the great scenery in South Cholla Province where most of the film was shot adds some enjoyable elements to the film as well.

As the movie targets family audiences or those in their 50s or over, the movie will probably appeal to people who want to avoid trendy or violent films, but the continual emphasis on such a traditional concept of motherhood seems unlikely to attract the kind of moviegoers who might benefit from the lesson.