[HanCinema's Film Review] "Dutiful Son"

Content about zombies seems to be everywhere these days, with the pandemic probably making the particular genre more relatable than ever. The majority of these titles are quite violent action movies, with the subject matter seeming ideal for such an approach. What would happen, however, if one was to shoot a family comedy focusing on such a creature? Lee Hoon-guk provides the answer with "Dutiful Son".

Advertisement

Five brothers, Gil-nam, Gil-joong, Gil-yeong, Gil-ho and their half-brother Choon-bok get together for their mother's funeral, in the village she was living in until the day she died. The brothers sometimes fight over inheritance issues, but their relationship is friendly for the most part, despite the fact that they do not consider Choon-bok as an equal. However, during one drunken night, their mother, who had been buried in the mountain, comes back to life as a zombie. The men and their families are stupefied, but at the same time happy for their mother's return. They decide to keep the fact a secret until they figure out what to do with her, but her erratic behavior and Choon-bok's naive attitude do not let it be kept for long. Furthemore, as a number of local chickens start disappearing, and even worse, her effort to choke the sick daughter of the elder brother, bring the five face to face with the problem.

Lee Hoon-guk directs a film that, in the beginning, seems like a simple comedy of episodic nature, with the interaction of the five brothers with their zombie-mother, the local community, their families and among them providing a number of hilarious moments. As time passes however, the dramatic element starts taking over, while a number of social comments come to the fore, most of which are presented through metaphors instigated by the presence of the mother as a zombie. In that fashion, the concept of filial piety is the most central here, with the way each of the brothers reacts to the return of their mother highlighting it in different ways. That Lee has placed an ancestor who can actually kill her own grandkid in the middle of this concept, forcing her sons to choose if they should continue to be respectful or simply get rid of her is a quite intelligent approach, which presents his comments in a fashion that is both pointed and entertaining. The same applies to the concept of if the deceased should be buried or burned, which takes a rather impactful turn closer to the end of the story.

Furthermore, that Choon-bok eventually emerges as the one who cares the most about her, despite the harsh behavior of his brothers, who consider him an outsider, is also a comment regarding families in Korea, which becomes even stronger when a number of past incidents involving the rest of the brothers are revealed. In general, one could say that Lee analyzes the current Korean family in the most thorough way, examining concepts like patriarchy, the clash between tradition and modernity, and the one between religion (the supernatural if you prefer) and rationalism, particularly regarding the concept of death.

Almost inevitably, considering the subject matter, Lee hits the reef of forced sentimentalism and melodrama at some point. However, his approach, which is dominated by a sense of hilarity and the premises of a fable, "saves" the narrative, not allowing for this aspect to be leaned upon fully, but just to be touched. In that fashion, the way that humor is always there, even in the most dramatic moments, emerges as one of the best aspects of the movie.  

The acting is on a very good level also. Kim Roe-ha as Gil-nam, the older brother, is quite memorable, particularly closer to the end, while Park Hyo-joon as the half-brother Choon-bok is the main source of humor in the movie, and is quite good at it. Yun Woon-kyung in the role of the zombie is quite convincing in a very difficult role that has her appearing creepy and funny at the same time.

In terms of cinematography, the focus is on realism, without any particular exaltations, with the exception of some very beautiful images of the sky during the night and the dawn, and a shocking one that is shown through CCTV, close to the end. The editing results in a relatively fast pace that works quite well here, although at almost two hours, the movie somewhat overextends its welcome, particularly due to the number of episodes included in the story.

This is a minor fault however, and in the end, "Dutiful Son" emerges as a very entertaining, very intelligent movie, particularly in the way it approaches both its comments and the whole zombie concept.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

___________

"Dutiful Son" is directed by Lee Hoon-guk, and features Yun Woon-kyung, Kim Roe-ha, Lee Cheol-min, Jung Kyung-ho-I, Park Hyo-joon, Jeon Woon-jong. Release date in Korea: 2022/01/27.