Korean Job Discussion Forums

[ernie]

워낭소리 / Old Partner

what a great film. the best movie i've seen in a long time, and easily my favorite korean film. a documentary about an old farming couple and their 40-year-old ox. it doesn't sound like the most riveting subject matter, but it's a truly amazing and unique story. unforgettable.

http://festival.sundance.org/2009/film_events/films/old_partner

check it out at yongsan CGV.

has anyone else seen this? discuss.

p.s. don't watch the 5 minute korean 'trailer' for this movie. it basically gives away the whole story.

[Chamchiman]

Yep, very enjoyable - funny, affecting, sad. If you drive or take the train through the mountainous areas of south Gangwon-do in April, you can still see old guys out there working the fields with their cows. This film puts a story to the scene. Highly recommended to anyone interested in seeing a times-gone-by slice of Korean life. (Or anyone who's studying Gyeongsang-do dialects. I could barely understand a word.)

The only negatives were that I thought it was a touch over-directed at times - the scene of the cow plodding across the hilltop and stopping in the setting sun comes to mind. Also, apparently the real-life story of how it was filmed didn't initially put the director in the best light. To his credit, it seems that as the film has become more popular he has been encouraging people to stay away from the family, and has been financially helping them out as well.

(By the way, the theater where I saw it gives you a discount if you were born in the year of the cow. Bring your ID.)

[Sapa]

english subs?

[ernie]

at yongsan they have english subtitles (and korean, which is funny) but i'm not sure about anywhere else.

[Sapa]

Anyone know what times it's on or do they have an English website?