Seoul: The film "Leaving Mom" opens with a scene that is straight out of a thriller: a man in a black, hooded raincoat enters a rundown apartment on a pitch-dark night. He carries a suspicious-looking black plastic bag and opens a door to find a middle-aged woman tied to a chair. Wielding a knife, the man pulls something bloody from the bag.
According to Yonhap News Agency, what begins as a chilling crime scene quickly pivots into a heartbreaking melodrama. The man, Hoan (Tuan Tran), isn't a killer after all. He is a son cooking a meal for his sick mother. He has no choice but to restrain his mother while he is away to protect her, as she suffers from severe dementia.
The film touches on the extreme lengths impoverished individuals may be driven to when social safety nets fail and there are no other resources available. In a sense, the opening sequences attempt to capture the realistic "horror" of conditions one may encounter in real life.
The story centers on the Vietnamese son, Hoan, a street barber who dedicates his life to caring for his ailing mother, Le Thi Hanh (Hong Dao). Amid her memory loss, Le Thi Hanh has sporadic flashes of her time in Korea, where she once lived and worked. She married a Korean man, Jung-min (Jung Il-woo), and gave birth to her first son, whom she had to leave behind under unfortunate circumstances.
As his own health deteriorates, with epileptic seizures becoming increasingly frequent, Hoan considers a journey to Korea to entrust her to the care of the half-brother he has never met, believing the brother can offer a better future with more stability and superior medical care than he can provide.
Unlike many international joint projects that simply remake existing films, this Korea-Vietnam co-production offers a wholly original narrative. It is based on a screenplay by South Korean director Mo Hong-jin and was co-developed between the two countries over a three-year period, with staff members equally from both nations.
Given that both Korea and Vietnam share a deep-rooted tradition of ancestral rites and a strong emphasis on filial duty, the film is likely to resonate widely with viewers in both countries. In Vietnam, where the movie was released on July 30, it has already become a major hit, attracting over 2 million moviegoers.
The film's power, above all, lies in the remarkably honest and authentic performances of the two Vietnamese lead actors, who effortlessly draw the audience directly into the mother and son's loving but difficult relationship. Beyond this personal story, the film also delivers sharp social commentary on the challenge of balancing the duty of caring for a sick parent with the necessity of earning a living, a burden made heavier by the lack of a social safety net.
Korean actor Jung Il-woo, who appears in the film without pay, shines in his role as a caring man who embodies the model father and husband, despite his relatively brief screen time. While the film's conclusion may not satisfy all viewers, the decision the mother and son reach in the end feels true to their compassionate characters. In addition, a surprise appearance by a famous Korean actor in the final scenes might serve as a welcome consolation for any lingering disappointment.
"Leaving Mom" is set for local release on Wednesday.