HA Ji-won and CHA Tae-hyeon chase the winter blues away

"BA:BO" (Babo) tells a warm tale set in a village during a winter. The feel-good film's line-up includes the popular actors Ha Ji-won and Cha Tae-hyun. Kim Jeong-kwon directed the comedy.

CHA plays a likeable fool who stopped developing intellectually since an accident at a very young age which took his father's life. He is now a grown-up and tries to make a living for himself and his younger sister after his mother also passed away.

The sister – a role by Park Ha-sun – is a high school student who tries to hide the fact that the rather simple man selling toast near her school is her brother out of embarrassment and she ignores him at home.

CHA's character's only friend used to be the tough kid at school, a role by PARK Hee-seon. CHA's character was expelled from school as a boy for something PARK's character was guilty.

HA portrays a pianist who returns to her parent's house because of her stage fright. The first person to greet her is CHA's character who spends a lot of his free time on the look-out for HA's character to return while he looks at the stars. He childishly believes that his dead parents have become stars.

The story unfolds during a winter in a small town; this set-up is mainly used as a romantic background including lots of snow. The film gives off a warm feeling which is enhanced by the likeable characters, even the bad people in the film are not so bad.

Still, developments take a dramatic turn, but there is always the 'town's fool' who might be helpful with his desire to assist and do good things with a smile on his face.

"BA:BO" is technically in order with nice lighting and camera angles. The feel-good film might cause some tears, but is mostly an affectionate tale with some laughs.

CHA is a major comedy actor who became a pan-Asian star with "My Sassy Girl" (Yeopgi Jeokin Geunyeo). HA featured in Lee Myung-se's "Duelist" (Hyeongsa). Director KIM's previous films include the romantic film "Ditto".

Yi Ch'ang-ho (KOFIC)

Advertisement