Koo Seong-joo (구성주)

4 Korean Films Invited to "24th Fajr International Film Festival" in Iran

2006/01/04 | Source | Permalink |

Four Korean films have been invited to the "Competition of Asian Cinemas" division at the "24th Fajr International Film Festival" to be held in Tehran on Jan. 20-30.

The films are "Taegukgi: Brotherhood of War" (director: Kang Je-gyu, 2003), "Cracked Eggs and Noodles" (director: Oh Sang-hoon, 2005), "Daddy-Long-Legs" (director: Kong Jeong-sik, 2005), and "Long and Winding Road" (director: Koo Seong-joo).

According to Kim Ji-suk, a programmer of the Pusan International Film Festival, the "Competition of Asian Cinemas" division was established for the first time this year with the purpose of reviving Asian films. Awards will be presented in three categories: best film, best director and best screenplay....| More

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'Long and Winding Road' portrays mother's love

2005/04/09 | Source | Permalink |

Every Korean has a strong emotional connection with the word, "eomma" (mother). In most cases, Korean mothers have gone through tough times, including war and poverty, that make it hard to navigate life itself.

But mothers never give up, especially when it comes to things related to their children. Their relentless love often translates into heroic - and unbelievable - acts, and those who have mothers know what the word "eomma" really means for their entire life.

"Long and Winding Road", which opened Thursday, features one of such strong-willed mothers in Korea. The mother (Ko Doo-sim), nearing 70, wants to participate in the wedding of her youngest daughter, but her chronic dizziness - a sort of incurable illness - makes it terribly difficult to move from her hometown in Haenam to Mokpo where the wedding is set to take place.

The dizziness is serious. She cannot ride a bus, nor can she use other transportation. Family members come up with all sorts of ideas to resolve the p...| More

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'Long and Winding Road' Loses Audience Along the Way

2005/04/07 | Source | Permalink |

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 h...| More

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Taking an 80km Journey Together with Mother, Road of Tears? Road to Heaven?

2005/04/06 | Source | Permalink |

by Seung-Jae Lee


The movie "Mother - Long and Winding Road " is about an aged mother, starring Ko Doo-sim, the leading mother figure of South Korea, walking 80km to attend her youngest daughter's wedding ceremony. By now, the audience about to enter the movie theater to watch the movie will be prepared to pour streams of tears. However, "Mother", opening Thursday, takes an unexpected turn.

From the beginning, it seems that director Koo Seong-joo (producer of the movie, "He asked whether I know about Gita" in 1997) did not have any intentions of making the audience burst into tears. The movie is not about the mother arriving at the wedding after going through all sorts of hardships and privations, but it is about the warmth that brought changes between the mother and the family as they took a journey down the road.

On the road, the older brother (Son Byeong-ho) and youngest brother (Kim Yoo-seok) reconcile as they accompany their mother, and the mother is able to settle he...| More

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