History Weepie Strikes Chord with Korean Americans

The enthusiasm for a melodrama about a man's sacrifices during modern Korean history is winging its way across the pond to the U.S.

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Distributor CJ Entertainment on Wednesday said "Ode to My Father" drew over 6,000 viewers just four days into its Christmas-Day release at the CGV in Los Angeles, which is home to a large Korean community.

Tickets sold out during the weekend, and over 90 percent were sold on weekdays except for the first showing in the morning.

Many moviegoers were people in their 50s and over who are the first-generation immigrants, the company said.

The movie portrays a man's life through historical events spanning more than 50 years including the Korean War in the 1950s, sending troops to the Vietnam War and coal miners and nurses to Germany in the 1960s and nationwide campaign to reunite families separated during the Korean War in the 1980s. It seems to remind older expats of their own past of struggle to survive in a foreign country.

The weepie is scheduled for a second release at a local theater in Pasadena on Friday, and will be released at 43 theaters in Boston, Chicago, New York, Seattle and Washington in the U.S. as well as Toronto and Vancouver in Canada on Jan. 9.