User Reviews

We adopted our son from Korea almost six years ago, so watching this film was sort of like watching him. There, the resemblance ends...

This was a very touching story, without a lot of dialog, or big "payoff" scenes, about how a loving approach will eventually break down even the most "monstrous" of kids.

The boy IS a brat, make no mistake. If he was our son, we would never let him get away with some of the stunts he pulls. However, I disagree with some of the other comments saying the kid does not change. He subtly changes throughout the movie. First, when he he takes down the wash during a rain storm, and then hangs it back up... and then re arranges it so it looks like how his grandma did it so she won't know. There was the scene when he replaces the hairpin he stole while she is sleeping. We got a kick out of his attempt to make her breakfast ("or lunch") in bed. He does learn some hard lessons, like when the local boy helps him out when he gets chased by the "crazy cow", even after he played a nasty trick on him.

The "payoff" as it was, was when he leaves Grandma. He still can't say goodbye in a way we might like, but let's not forget he IS a kid and sometimes it is hard to say goodbye to someone we love when we are that age. However, him leaving her those postcards to send him if she needs him shows just how far he has come.

True, the story does not have a "big payoff" scene, and some comments have complained about it. I agree with what another person said and think that such moments would have been out of character with the movie. As that user rightly said, it's the small gestures that build up to the big moment we hope to see.

I was surprised when I learned none of the stars were in movies before. I think having "stars" would have changed the sweet nature of the film.

We really liked the movie, but boy did we want to smack that kid early on! Happily he comes around.

THE WAY HOME (2002). A low budget tale of a terrifying little brat sent to live temporarily with his ancient grandmother in the country while his single mother looks for work in Seoul. Hollywood would turn a movie like this into pure sap, but director Lee Jeong-hyang doesn't offer any easy solutions to the ever growing disconnection of modernized, urban Korean young people from their traditional ancestry. The film often feels like some big catharsis is just around the corner, but wisely never delivers one. The boy changes a bit by the time his mother returns, but he only, suddenly, becomes aware of it when it's too late. And thankfully, NO ONE DIES in this movie, which is usually the case with dramas dealing with the elderly. Definitely leaves you thinking about things, though.

Paramount has released this on DVD in North America.

This film has been on Sundance a billion times and I just now got to see the whole thing. I agree that the performances are very good. Especially the grandmother and her quiet dignity.

To everyone who says the boy didn't change I wonder if you watched the film all the way to the end. From being a total brat he changes to really seem to understand his grandmother and appreciate what she has done for him. The whole thing where he tells her if she's sick to send word and he will come to her very fast; the little cards he makes for her to send to him because she can't read or write; his obvious upset at having to leave her... What more do you need to see that he has changed? It was hard to believe the kid could be so evil for a great deal of the film in the face of her being so nice to him, but by the end he comes around. I'm easily moved, but I sure cried.

Okay, having had three Korean roommates in the past year I have acquired a bit of a taste for Korean films. This film in particular became of interest to me because of the fact they cast a 78 year old woman with no acting background, who has never even seen a film before this as a deaf mute. Which she played convincingly.

The first thing to be warned about in this movie is that it is action-reaction driven, as in most of the time there will be little or no words but the movie still manages to move along without them. The old grandmother (Eul-boon Kim) is old. Yet most of her actions relate to a child trying to please her parents. She knows a lot, but at the same time is horrifically under-educated. Things that would be too childish for let's say a ten year old may in fact be leaps and bound beyond what she can tangibly do. Her character couldn't even figure out what hole the square goes in while playing with the classic toddlers toy. Yet, she gets by. The portrayal of an old woman who lives in her own means supporting herself using what she knows is inspiring.

Of course the journey of an old woman would be horrifically dull without any real conflict. So the second thing I warn you about this movie is that it is harsh but realistically and spookily accurate. While watching this movie, I was flinching in horror at the treatment Sang-woo (Seung-ho Yu) gave to his disabled grandmother. Early on though in the film they established that he himself was raised poorly by his own mother. Being spoiled and yelled at, it was obvious she had almost given up in attempting any real discipline. Thus, it all trickles down. He controls her, by manipulating her into pleasing him in any way she can. It was aggravating how he treated her...in fact I wanted to get up and smack that little brat as much as I am against child-abuse. The good thing though is the movie didn't lie in any way. Having worked with children in the past I related to the grandmother, you do what you can, sometimes you can't discipline them, they aren't your responsibility, but if you can get them to at least respect you---now that is an accomplishment. The old woman earned his respect from the beginning, but never really received it, only time after time again did she finally obtain recognition. Her path is almost biblical in that she chose her battles, and knew she couldn't fight back but still ultimately won the battle.

The third problem though is that it seems to end to easily, thus a lower score than I would have liked. It seems in almost an effort to wrap it all up, the main character has a turn-around in the last twenty minutes to really caring. I am glad, that it ended happily, but I was expecting more of a realistic gradual approach especially with the slow build up to that point. This is really my only problem with the film. I can't disagree with the methods and I think this movie would invoke anyone to really look into how they might be treating the people around them. For that reason alone it comes highly recommended.

This movie is not recommended to anyone who doesn't like to think much when it comes to films. Of course, maybe that's the reason you should watch it.

I instantly liked this movie. The whole movie, you see how mean the boy is to his grandmother, but at the end when he says sorry from the bus, all is forgiven. I truly thought it was good...

In the film, the boy is left to stay with his grandma, who is quite poor. He is always fussing and being spoiled. The grandma, it seems, never decides to scold him in any way. As he lives with her for a while, he realizes the family values he should take for granted. At the end, it's very sad when he says sorry. This left a very good impression on me... Fine acting as well... This movie made me think of many important lessons. The story, in general, is about how you should treat family, and everyone, with respect and appreciate what they do for you...

It seems that with the more South Korean movies I see, I'm starting to see a trend of great storytellers showing us what's happening instead of telling us, or have the characters tell us. Thus is the case with "The Way Home", where every shot is simple, the camera unimposing, and yet poignant and breathtaking at the same time. When we see Sang-Woo walking up to his grandmother's house 10 paces behind her, no one has to explain how reluctant he is. The beauty of this film also lies in what's not shown to us. Sang-Woo eventually meets a young girl about his age who intrigues him. For a good portion of the movie, he is trying to make a connection with her but doesn't seemingly succeed. Then when least expected she comes running to him asking where he was because she wants to play with him. Afterwards, it cuts straightaway to Sang-Woo in bed at night giggling with joy to himself of the prospect of his young crush while he coyly covers his face with the comforter, a feeling that hopefully all of us has had the pleasure to experience, and even as we get older, we can still reminisce about something that is just as personal. In this way, the film doesn't insult our intelligence and we automatically know that the previous events are the cause for his jubilance. We did not actually need to see what happened between those scenes because the filmmakers trust us to fill in the blanks. Another example is when Sang-Woo finally verbalizes his feelings for his grandmother (which by the way is a good payoff considering what their relationship was in the beginning), it consists of a beautiful yet still unencroaching shot where he is crying and all we see is the back of the grandmother's head. In a heart-tugging moment, all that needed to be done by the actress who plays the grandmother was for her to lift her hand to her face and we already know her point of view of what's going on. There are no intense tearful closeups or strings playing in the background. We already know that she's crying. And yet after all that, Sang-Woo still has trouble saying goodbye to his grandmother when he finally has to leave with his mother witnessing it. In an American film, I'm almost certain he would be directed to hug her for dear life and plead his mother to let him stay longer. This kind of real human behavior portrayal is a testament to the insight of the filmmakers who understand that in life, expression of something even as beautiful as love can be a difficult thing to do, especially in the presence of someone else.

On a more personal note, this movie struck a chord with me because it gave me insight to a life that is very foreign to me. Me being Asian-American is only one aspect of it, but I will be the first to admit that I am spoiled up the wazoo and there will be a lot of convincing for me to give up HDTVs, the internet etc. It made me truly appreciate people who are rich in spirit and can find pleasure in simple things, which is something I always try to fool myself into thinking that I can do. But truthfully, I do not know if I could live in that house without all the amenities that I'm used to (although the mountain scenery would be a sight for sore eyes).

a rude, spoiled kid has got to stay with his mute grandmother for a while, and the story begins. the patience and the love of the grandmother is so admirable, so noble. there wasn't any action in this movie, and i haven't get bored at all. before this movie i didn't know i could enjoy this much simplicity. a simple low-cost movie is way better than any Hollywood movie. it's perfect.

The theme of this movie is obvious--the clash of the spoiled grandson and the patient, long-suffering grandmother. The trouble comes because both characters are taken to such extremes that it is difficult to empathize with either of them!

The kid is miserable. Before the movie was half over, I WANTED him to go over a cliff or for the Crazy Cow to gore him, and leave the earth a more harmonious place. He's demanding, spoiled, a crybaby, AND a sissy. He never seems to learn much of anything, except to keep asking for more. I began to wonder if Mom had abandoned him (I would not have blamed her).

The grandmother takes all of his abuse, and never shows any sign that any of it is misplaced or cruel or just plain rude. After a while, one begins to lose respect for her; is she so desperate to win the approval of this wretch?

One of the reasons why I am a great fan of Asian movies is the scarcity of the Obnoxious Child. American movies are full of them--mouthy monsters who Know Everything and respect no one, just like the beastly child in this movie.