In a recent British Council survey of over 40,000 people for whom English is a second language, "mother" was chosen as the most beautiful word in English. Indeed, regardless of race or nationality, almost everyone is touched by the idea and image of motherhood.
The latest local movies and television dramas are no exception to this with mothers often being depicted as strong and devoted and sacrificing themselves for their children and family.
One example is the recent film "Marathon," which revolves around a 20-year-old autistic man with a passion for running as the mother makes every effort to get her son to stand on his own feet.
Kyung-sook, played by Kim Mi-Sook, forces her son to stand on the street on a rainy day to teach him the word "rain." She doesn't mind cleaning a stranger's house as long as it gives her son a chance to learn how to run a Marathon.
"We focused on creating the traditional image of motherhood, which people today admire and miss, without making it too sentimental, instructive or propagandistic," the film's producer Shin Chang-hwan said. "We asked Kim to be strong and strict but cool at the same time."
Other examples include the upcoming movies "Hello & Good-bye Little Brother (Anyong Hyon-a)" and "Long and Winding Road (Oma)."
In " Hello & Good-bye Little Brother," a single mother and a talented career woman despairs at first when she finds out that one of her sons is diagnosed with cancer, but later becomes stronger to take care of her son. " Long and Winding Road" is about a mother who walks for four days to attend her daughter's wedding ceremony since she can't travel by car because of her dizziness.
Popular TV soap operas also tend to depict mothers as brave and devotional. "A Ballad of Han River (Hankangsu Taryong)," which airs on MBC, portrays a tough and outgoing single mother working as a fish vendor who does whatever she can for her six children.
KBS 2's "A Letter to Parents (Pumonim Chonsangso)" shows the patient side of parenthood, featuring a mother taking care of an autistic child on her own and how she manages to overcome such hardships.
All of the mothers in these movies and dramas are not much different from the essence of conventional Korean mothers who are willing to sacrifice themselves for their children and family.
However, many people are also questioning the reality of the portrayal of mothers and their roles in family in such movies and dramas.
Their reason is that today's concept of motherhood is changing as more women work and put greater emphasis on developing themselves than their families, something that is not depicted in those movies and dramas.
And to highlight the strong and devoted images of mothers, the roles of fathers tend to be decreased or totally neglected.
"I think the recent movies may be the result of nostalgia for the past as the conventional concept of family is now being threatened," said Gina Yu, film critic and professor of film and digital media at Dongguk University. "People are confused by the new ideology of family, which emphasizes gender equality."
As movies not only portray the reality of society but also reflect the expectations, the depiction of strong and devoted mother figures in such movies and dramas can result from confusion in a transition period, Yu said.
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