Ode to My Father

In Ode to My Father - one of the saddest Korean movies, a magnificent period of Korean history is evoked in the worst possible ways. The evacuation of Hungnam in 1950, which took place during the Korean War, saw the US Navy save the evacuees. At that time, the main character Duk-soo (Hwang Jung-min) promised his father that he would defend his family in accordance with Korean tradition.

Duk-soo has experienced a lot of adversity and bad luck in his life. To maintain his word, he must overcome several obstacles. Duk-soo, who experiences the dissolution of his family during the enormous migration of families from the north to the US-controlled south during the Korean War in 1950, is the perfect example of all of this.

He worked for periods of time in war-torn Vietnam in the 1970s to pay for his sister's wedding and in German coal mines in the 1960s to pay for his brother's graduation expenses. He finally embarks on his arduous search for his sister and father throughout the 1980s.

The entire movie is an emotional journey, and the scene in which Duk-soo and his family are reunited with his long-lost sister Mak-soon through a nationwide television program intended to bring together families split by the North-South division is the watershed moment.

Release date: 17 December 2014
Director: Yoon Je-kyoon

Cast: Hwang Jung-Min, Kim Yunjin, Oh Dal-Su, Jung Jin-Young, Jang Young-Nam, Ra Mi-Ran, Hong Suk-Youn, Kim Seul-Gi, Lee Hyun, Uhm Ji-Sung,...
Running time: 130 minutes
Rating: 7.8/10 IMDb