In a film just over two hours, it makes you laugh, cry and even thrills. "Gyeongju trip" breaks away from a predictable genre piece to portray the weary pathos of a family's blood-soaked revenge, and with Lee Jung-eun at the center, strong performances by Kong Hyojin, Park So-dam, Lee Yeon and Byun Yo-Han raise the immersion even further. Kim Mi-jo, who showed remarkable directorial skill in her commercial film debut, also contributed with a tightly constructed script.
"Gyeongju trip" (written and directed by Kim Mi-jo, provided by Lotte Entertainment·Michigan Venture Capital Co., Ltd., distributed by Lotte Entertainment, produced by Studio Hi-Five, co-produced by Euphoria ENT) depicts the family revenge drama of four mothers and daughters who set out on a "killer" trip after eight years of waiting to avenge their youngest daughter Gyeongju, who did not return from a school trip. It is Kim Mi-jo's first commercial film, following her debut "Seagull," which earned recognition for solid directing at major domestic and international film festivals, and it has drawn much attention by receiving an invitation to the Hawaii International Film Festival and the audience award at the Florence Korean Film Festival before its release.
Despite a tight household budget, the pretty youngest daughter Gyeongju, who grew up loved by her family, does not return after going on a school trip, and the culprit Baek Sang-hyun (played by Byun Yo-Han) receives an absurd sentence because he was a first-time offender and the crime was considered impulsive. The mother, Ok-sil (played by Lee Jung-eun), who had expected the death penalty, cannot hide her devastation, and this leads to the loss of her husband as well. The household is utterly shattered, and after waiting eight years the four women kidnap the murderer Baek Sang-hyun, who has completed his sentence and been released, and head to Gyeongju. They decide to take revenge on behalf of their daughter.
The eldest daughter Jang-ju (played by Kong Hyojin) does the driving, the brain and second daughter Yeong-ju (played by Park So-dam), a law school graduate, devises meticulous plans, and the former wrestling athlete third daughter Dong-ju (played by Lee Yeon) throws her body into action as they tightly unite. Under the command of their mother Ok-sil, they become a community of fate, but in truth the four women had never done anything bad in their lives and were very ordinary people. Although they captured the murderer, a major crisis appears early on, and soon the news on TV reports that Baek Sang-hyun damaged his electronic ankle bracelet and fled. Ultimately, to create an alibi, the four women begin a fake trip to Gyeongju, and unforeseen unexpected situations pour in.
Revenge dramas naturally bring to mind certain developments and motifs, but this film breaks the heavy moralistic story and completes a "variation of the genre" by mixing black comedy with farce. Each time Baek Sang-hyun appears, the flow of the story changes and genre shifts occur, and by using humor and comedy at the right moments the film amplifies its dramatic entertainment. Kim Mi-jo showed screenplay and directing skills that make it hard to believe this is her first commercial film.
Especially because of the actors' passionate performances, this genre-based fun was fully conveyed. The daughters all have emotional ties from being hurt by their mother, and concentration intensifies each time one is revealed in the latter part. The scene in which the eldest, Kong Hyojin, vents her fury at her mother Lee Jung-eun, who has become irrationally obsessed with revenge, gives a completely different new feeling from the mother-daughter in "When the Camellia Blooms." Also, the decisive reason the youngest daughter went on the school trip to Gyeongju is related to the third daughter Lee Yeon, and the mother-daughter relationship that seemed like sworn enemies delivers the greatest emotion in the latter part. The actors' performances are so outstanding that it is hard to single one out, but among them Lee Jung-eun's sobbing, anger and grief as a mother who lost her daughter are truly overwhelming.
Byun Yo-Han, known for a special appearance, actually turns out to be as impactful as a lead, showcasing more-than-expected presence with a shocking visual transformation and a convincing performance as the murderer.
In the latter part, the family's revenge looks like a process of healing them. Had the revenge not started, they would have kept hidden words and wounds in their hearts forever and never brought them out. It may hurt at that moment, but there is resonance at the end.
Opens Aug. 26, rated for ages 15 and up, 111 minutes.
[Photo] Lotte Entertainment
[OSEN]