This 2002 gem caught my eyes again. I vaguely remember watching this film several years ago but I completely forgot about it. Once I became a fan of Yoo Seung Ho after watching Great Queen Seon Deok I made up my mind to watch all of his previous works and this happens to be one of them. This little treasure caught South Korea by storm in the year 2002 when the Korea/Japan world cup was going on. The Way Home was the biggest box office title at the time and this little movie made Yoo Seung Ho into a successful child actor. Yoo Seung Ho plays this bratty city child that arrives to the country to stay with his grandmother but the lifestyle there is so different so he has a hard time adjusting to it. The grandmother is mute and she is played by a fabulous village actress name: Kim Eul Boon. This 78 year old woman has never acted in her life; let alone, she has never even watched a single film. Both Yoo Seung Ho the child actor that barely got started and Kim Eul Boon that never has acted before both steal the movie in a remarkable way.

Sang Woo (Yoo Seung Ho) is a 7 year old boy from the city and his mom takes him to the countryside where his grandma lives because Sang Woo’s mom has to look for a job. Sang Woo has a hard time adjusting to life in the rural area since his grandmother is mute and also the lifestyle there is very different from where Sang Woo comes from. However, Sang Woo overcomes the differences with the barely civilized world and in the process falls in love with his grandmother that seemed alien to him when he first arrived.

Sang Woo is the main character along with his country bumpkin grandmother that’s in her late 70s. There aren’t very many characters in this film. It is very simple. Besides Sang Woo and grandma there is his mother that briefly shows up in the beginning and at the tail end. Also the two village children named: Choel-e and Hae Yeon. There are small amounts of villagers that show up here and there but not too significant. There is this one old man that shows Sang Woo how to get to town so he can buy some batteries so he can continue to play on his game boy. Also there is another old man that is sick and Sang Woo’s grandmother visits him from time to time. Another noteworthy villager would be Sang Woo’s grandmother’s friend that has a hole in the wall shop in town. This movie is so simplistic that even character wise it’s not so fancy like most Korean dramas and movies that we are accustomed to.

There are a lot of cute moments in this movie. The stuff that Sang Woo says to his grandmother when he first arrives is beyond rude; calling her a retard and what not. Since the grandma can’t talk she has to use gestures and sign language to communicate. There is this scene where Sang Woo’s mute grandmother rubs her chest and this comes off really weird to the city boy. He called her a mute dummy or retard.

There are other scenes that made me chuckle. When Sang Woo first arrives he has a bag full of junk food. He had typical stuff like: Coca Cola, Chocolate and Spam. Coca Cola and Chocolate are pretty typical but not spam. It’s not the spam that made me have giggle fits, it’s the way he was eating it. For me I usually fry it in a frying pan and cook it for awhile then serve it to myself but Sang Woo had a giant spoon and was eating it right out of the can. This is a little strange to me. I don’t think I ever seen someone eating spam that way. I was wondering if he did that because there wasn’t proper kitchen ware  to fry it on the pan. I don’t think that’s an excuse since the grandma has fire to cook her food.

I have to say that my 3 ultimate favorite scenes were: Sang Woo begging his grandmother to serve him Hamburger,Pizza and Kentucky fried chicken. Also, Sang Woo looking himself in the mirror to look good for Hae Yeon and wanting a hair cut. Last but not least him playing the mad cow game. Sang Woo’s grandmother does not know anything about western fast food such as: Burgers,Pizza and Fried Chicken. I thought it was charming for him to get the menu he brought from the city and showing it to his grandma. Of course, the grandmother was clueless but Sang Woo was so hopeful about getting some of the fast food that he so misses. It’s funny that even as a kid Yoo Seung Ho was quite the mac-daddy. He was just 7 years old and he was already interested in girls. Sang Woo had a thing for the village girl name Hae Yeon and to look good in front of her he wanted a makeover but doesn’t really go as planned.I thought Sang Woo was kind of mean playing the mad cow game with the village boy Cheol-e.

It’s strange how there is this triangular relationship going on between Sang Woo, Hae Yeon and Cheol-e. It’s innocent, cute and charming but kind of strange for a little kid to already be into girls. Maybe Sang Woo had nothing better to do and was so bored that he had to get himself a hobby which is taking interest in the opposite sex. Yoo Seung Ho’s interaction with Hae Yeon was so natural that I bought every moment of it. Yoo Seung Ho was only 9 years old when this film was made and he was able to convince me in the romantic element with his new friend in the village. I am thinking that Yoo Seung Ho has this natural talent and no matter what he does it just comes out without him even trying so hard.

Sang Woo can be a mean and self centered little kid. I thought it was messed up for him to play around with Cheol-e like that and also doing some naughty deeds just to be able to play with his gameboy. This city boy calling his grandma names was so mean and bratty that I just wanted to give him a little smack through my computer screen to teach him a lesson. Despite all this, Sang Woo grows.

I really love his transformation. He goes from this bratty city kid to a warm hearted boy that really cares about his grandmother. You are able to see that even from the  mid way point of the film. Sang Woo does little gestures to let his grandma know that he cares. He might still call her names and be annoyed with her but he learns to think about others besides himself.

I can’t complain too much and blame the kid for being so bratty. The village was very bare bones. The grandma lives in this tiny house and looks as if it’s made out of clay or something. Also there is not much to do unless you go out into town. I felt proud of Sang Woo for being able to endure living in such a desolate place and learning how to be a little more caring towards others.

I really fell in love with the grandma. She is the polar opposite of his grandson. If Sang Woo was self centered then the grandma was giving. The grandmother really didn’t have much to give but she was willing to sacrifice herself. I think the grandmother’s sacrificial and even unconditional  love was delivered right to Sang Woo’s heart. Kim Eul Boon’s acting was genuine. A lot of the times, actors come off like they are either overacting or underacting but Kim Eul Boon’s acting was very natural.This lady has never acted before so being able to portray Sang Woo’s grandmother was marvelous.

Lee Jung Hyang is the director of this wonderfully made film. Very basic and very minimal but beautifully done. I guess even subtlety works when you do it right. Ms. Lee is one of the very few female directors South Korea has to offer and this beautiful work was critically acclaimed in that part of the world back in the early 2000s.

I think the cinematography was simplistic but great. No trickery nor gimmicks. This can be boring to a lot of people, especially movie watchers from the Western world. I don’t want to stereotype but a lot of us are so used to a lot of things happening in movies. Things blowing up left and right and high-tech sci- fi films everywhere but when the story is good all these fancy things you see on the screen doesn’t matter as much. You need patience to watch a piece like this but it would make your heart warm, fuzzy and cozy. Also it is a good film to watch with your family and not only that this movie can even help you bond with your loved ones as well.

Director Lee Jung Hyang goes for the minimal, not only with the setting, the concept and also cinematography but also in the music. A lot of modern movies have music that’s like way too loud and it bombards you with all kinds of noise. However, in THE WAY HOME the music is barely in the background, only used when it’s very necessary.

Watch this little gem directed by Lee Jung Hyang that came out in 2002. It will warm your heart  when you need it. This movie will also help you appreciate your grandmother or anyone that is close to you. Also, any Yoo Seung Ho fans should watch it because you get to see this little Seung Ho in action and find out that he was always this talented.