Ode to My Father (2014)

"Put the family first!"

Cue the violins and bring out the box of tissues because Ode to My Father will shamelessly and successfully pull at your heartstrings. This film is not only an ode to one father, but two, as you follow a boy from childhood to old age selflessly working to provide for and keep his family together just as he had promised his father he would do.

The film follows Deok Su as a child in 1950 fleeing Hungnam as the Chinese were overrunning the city. His only task was to hold his little sister's hand as the family sought shelter on a US ship, the USS Meredith, accepting refugees. In the stampede to find a way onto the ship, his sister was lost. When his father turned back to find her, he tasked Deok Su to be the man of the family and always put the family first if he could not return. Deok Su took his promise seriously when they arrived at his aunt's shop in Busan. Accompanying him on his various entrepreneur ventures was his best friend, Dal Gu.

Deok Su would later go to Germany to be a coal miner, a dark and dangerous job, in order to pay for his brother and sister's schooling. There he would meet his future wife, a Korean woman studying to be a nurse, Young Ja. He and Dal Gu returned home when the Germans stopped renewing their work visas. After his aunt's death, his uncle wanted to sell the Kkotbun Shop. Once again, Deok Su stepped forward, this time taking Dal Gu with him to Vietnam to earn money as "technicians". The two friends would face the same choice the Americans did at the North Korean port when as they were fleeing Saigon women and children begged for them to let them onto their boat. In 1983 Deok Su and Dal Gu would go to Seoul in the hopes of finding his father and sister when the Korean Broadcasting Services showed families being reunited through their programs.

Deok Su's grown children cannot understand why he won't sell his shop or change the old-fashioned name. Deok Su who so easily sacrificed his own dreams and took dangerous jobs to provide for his family, privately confessed to his father's image how difficult the struggle had been. After promising his father he would always put the family first, the last words he heard his father speak were that he would meet them at the Kkotbun Shop. Never saying his purpose aloud, Deok Su kept the shop open in case his father survived so that he could find his way to them.

This was a nostalgic look back for older Koreans who after surviving the Japanese occupation were devastated by the Korean War. Their country divided and some families divided by the new boundaries, dealing with political and economic upheavals, mothers and fathers worked hard to feed and shelter their families among the continuing changes around them. The main character in this film shined shoes, dug coal, traveled to Vietnam during that war, and later ran the family shop. He did all this to make things easier for his family and children. In a letter to his wife, he told her how grateful he was that it was he that suffered and not his children. And of course, his children, as children are wont to do, did not fully understand the hardships and struggles their parents went through for them.

Lest you think it was all melodrama, fear not for there were gentle moments of humor that lightened the mood. As much as the film was about family and sacrifice it was also about friendship. It was heartwarming to watch Deok Su and Dal Gu stand by each other from childhood to old age.

A small historical note: The USS Meredith was credited with one of the largest humanitarian rescues when the ship dumped its cargo and took on 14,000 refugees in a ship designed for 12 passengers and 47 crew.

I am not a crier, but this movie moved me to tears on several occasions. I knew the director and music director were setting me up for the big emotional moments and did everything but present a cue card that said, "Cry now!" It didn't matter, the milestones in this film though far removed from my life still reminded me of the sacrifices and relentless hard work my parents and grandparents went through to make my life easier. And like the director, who made this film as a thank you to his father, it reminded me to say thank you to those who went before me. The desperation during times of political upheaval for people who have nowhere else to run is truly heartbreaking. I cried for the families around the world who have been separated by war, death, and poverty and felt gratitude for the ones left behind who have fought tenaciously to hold the survivors together and refused (and still refuse) to give up.

The film could swell emotionally and had an ambitious overview. It helped that the acting was on point and didn't boil over into being overwrought which kept the characters grounded. With all of the time jumps it could have been easy to become lost as we were given a personal tour by Deok Su through pivotal points in Korean history. Though the story covered decades and several countries, Ode to My Father was at its heart a simple and intimate story of a man keeping a promise to his father. Unabashedly melodramatic? At times. But this film was also inspiring and uplifting and a lesson in the power of tenacity. If you are looking for a movie to touch you, look no further.

4/24/23

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Warning: mega tear-jerker of a show.

I’ve read elsewhere that the story does resemble that of Forrest Gump, but here I think there is a very different emphasis. Forrest Gump focuses mainly on one man’s journey, while this show also touches on modernity and how it’s perceived by our parents’ generation, and the generation gap between our parents and our current generation.

As a broad sweep through Korean history, definitely a good and well-dramatised one. For non-Koreans it’s definitely quite enlightening since it does feature certain events outside the North-South conflict narrative we usually see in action movies.

But in general, the movie is so moving because of its emphasis on family and one’s duty to family, and that’s why I found it so moving. Bonus fact: watched it in the cinema with my mum and I think it's safe to say there wasn't a dry eye in the cinema hall!

Was surprised to see Kim Yunjin snag such a major Korean role after watching her in Lost. However, Hwang Jung-min’s character definitely takes centre stage in the story. He does such a great job. Oh Dal-soo as usual is fantastic as his comical sidekick.

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Rarely does a movie move me to tears like this one dead. It perfectly encapsulates the horrors of the Korean War as felt by the innocent civilians of the North, and how those horrors continued to shadow over the rest of those victims' lives. The movie is titled so because the main character Yoon Duk Soo's entire lifespan becomes on large ode to his father and his last words to him as a boy. The movie in that sense captures the concept of filial piety and absolute dedication that Asian cultures typically have toward their parents and family members. I do hate the fact that Duk Soo never really gives himself any thought, and selflessly plods on, job after dangerous job, doing perhaps more as a substitute father than what his real father would have done for the family. But that is how his trauma and guilt manifests itself. He was a boy then and he had been given such a big responsibility at such a young age. It was never his fault that Maksoon slipped and was lost. This is a great movie to watch if you really want to cry.

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The Story Of My Life.

Ode to my father describes what a lot of individuals who are titled first child or head of the house goes through, and I being the first child had no better title than to define this review.

The story takes place in the middle of the Korean War in the city of Hungnam, North Korea where the US Marines evacuated more than 86,000 individuals, our main lead and his family being one of them. The entire film then follows the promise he made to his father before he went missing to take care of his mother and siblings. Deok Soo (Hwang Jung Min) then lives his life making sure to make his father's promise a reality which costs him everything including his dreams, his passions, and even his will.

As we see him get older there seems to be a withdrawal emotionally and a lack of understanding that his family offers him, in scenes where it has aged having grandchildren and we see their lack of showed love towards him. It reminds me of the loneliness that comes with a huge sacrifice, not only did he not give himself, he was left misunderstood, and not even his children were patient enough to understand where that 'anger' came from. In the final scene of the movie, we see Deok Soo finally decide to sell his store, and when he goes into his room he begins to cry reminiscing the difficulties that came with keeping that promise, how to hurt he had become when he realized he would never see his father again.

One thing that made me cry and sob in this film apart from Hwang Jung Min's performance was the countless stories that were expressed throughout, Although not as heavily themed in the time of war but for families who lack opportunities, immigrant children who have so much responsibility to care for their younger siblings and parents. Deok Soo lived his entire life to service others constantly pushing the limit he would go for family. the only thing he ever did for himself was to fall in love and get married, which is awesome but it was at the expense of almost dying that he even meet the love of his life.

As a child of immigrants, the guilt Deok Soo felt when he lost his sister is the same when you see your parents put their interests, their homes, and sometimes their marriages so they can protect you and give you a better life. Although I might want to pursue other things in life, there are a lot more responsibilities like Deok Soo had, that have to come before my peace of mind.

I loved his story so much, I loved the execution from the cast and those who worked behind the scenes. it's a movie that will be timeless not only showing history in true light but relating to individuals who often go through situations like this. I hope this review urges you more to view this film and appreciate the brilliance behind it.

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The story is mainly about the hardships that the common people faced during the division of Korea. Before watching this movie, I was aware that they had gone through this separation sometime in their history, but I was not in the least aware how difficult those times were for them.

The movie covers a great deal of Korean history, but it's not only about it. It's also about the development of the ML from a boy to an adult. amid those times, and his dedication towards his family. The movie has a lot of emotional scenes, interspersed with some funny scenes, as the ML goes through ups and downs of his life.

Since the movie has so much content, it seemed to be a bit fast moving. I also felt that the movie was a bit over-dramatized to increase its appeal to the public (which a lot of top-selling stuff do anyway).

Altogether, the movie is worth a watch. It will make you appreciate the culture of South Koreans more.

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Real tear-jerking movie that makes me wanna hug my father

I watched the movie randomly without any recommendation and found that this movie got a lot of award after. At first, the story kinda slow. The plot keep on switching the time, so it's kinda a turn-off. But I glad i finished watching the movie. I cried hysterically at the ending but yet beautiful ending!

The story is about the life of the main lead , which is the grumpy grandfather who has been going through a lot of hardships since child. He was forced to be the lead of the family since young after the lost of his father and worked his bone to feed his family while waiting for his missing father.

Kudos to the main lead for keep on playing the character until old ? but for real the movie really shows the struggle of the after-war generation where they had to survive and lived for their family.

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Disgusting

This is a film that is deeply offensive to the Vietnamese people and the history of Vietnam. The film distorted history by portraying Korean soldiers who came to Vietnam as heroes, who rescued the Vietnamese from the Viet Cong. But history is different, Korean soldiers massacred, raped, and plundered Vietnam while they were stationed in Vietnam. This is an insulted to Vietnamese people, how can they create a movie that completely wrong to the history and proud of it like it is the true. This movie should be ban because it can make people misunderstand about the history, THE REAL HISTORY. No matter how touching the scenes in the movie are, it can not be deny that Korean soldier has committed terrible crimes.

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una generazione che ha travagliato per lasciare una vita migliore ai discendenti

Una storia davvero commovente per i profondi legami familiari e la fedeltà alla parola data, costi quel che costi. Una fedeltà nell'amicizia anche incrollabile.
Vicende umane sotto la guerra di Corea e le sue conseguenze postume sulla vita dei tanti civili che altro non chiedevano che guadagnarsi una vita pacifica e impegnarsi per migliorare la propria condizione. Stessa situazione per la guerra del Vietnam che qui entra, pure essa, a lasciare le proprie tracce nello spirito e la carne di tanti uomini, donne e bambini. Ma nel dolore c'è sempre anche una nota di gioia, di speranza e soprattutto di rinascita.
Un negozietto tiene salda la vita nell'attesa di una riparazione ... che avverrà solo in parte.
Gli attori hanno saputo far vibrare le corde emotive e l'immedesimazione in queste vicende umane.
E' un bel film davvero che trasmette profondi sentimenti e mantiene l'interesse dello spettatore lungo tutto il film. E' consigliabile e, in fondo, finisce sul positivo nonostante le fatiche della vita e una attesa mai soddisfatta. non è una storia propriamente triste, non lascia l'amarezza ma piuttosto una dolce malinconia e tenerezza; un esempio di vita stoica, di forza morale e di coraggio.

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