FESTIVAL
The symptoms of the
so-called Alzheimer's disease
is in reality reliving one's life
from today to yesterday.
When my old mother is looking
for her husband who died 40 years ago
she is going back to the times
when they were just beginning
to start a family.
When she is worrying
about her mother-in-law's dinner
she is going back
to the newly-wed days.
And when she goes out
with a bundle
she is going back
to her girlhood long long ago.
She is going back
farther and farther before.
Pyeong-chon! Did you see our mother?
She went out of the house again?
Yes, this is driving me crazy.
Be careful
I think she's trying to
go to her maiden home at Dok-do.
The land has all been reclaimed
so she can go by land
whenever she wants to.
She must be thinking of the old days
when she used to go there by boat.
Thank you so much. Thank you...
- Take good care of her.
- Sure.
Listen, what is wrong with you?
Why are you doing this to me!
I'm going to go my home.
Several years ago
a friend lost his two kidneys.
So he was looking
for transplant candidate.
8 brothers and sisters,
2 children and a mother...
They add up for
a total of 22 kidneys.
But he lamented about how no one
offers theirs even as a joke.
Mother, who is that?
Why is she naked
in broad daylight?
At the time,
I thought of my kindhearted mother
and I was thankful and
assured of her healthy state.
She would give not one
but both her kidneys
if it was for her children.
Of course she wouldn't
hesitate about that.
Anyway, her health gives me
hope and assurance to my feeble health
strewed with sickness and
tainted with smoke and alcohol.
Since she lived so long
there's hope that
my health won't tumble so easily.
Honey.
Honey.
Your mother has...
Hello, it's me.
When was it?
Since it's eleven right now,
I'll be there 7 at the latest.
Yes. Alright.
What are you doing?
Go to the bank and get some money.
How much?
What do you mean how much?
Get everything.
You know we're
the only source of money.
And bring Eun-ji from school.
Daddy, is grandma dead again?
Are we going to Jang-hung?
Since it's my regular column,
put an apology for the readers.
Of course, if Mr. Park is writing it,
I'm not worried.
Please, take care of that
and get Song Gyu-shik on the phone.
Yes, Gyu-shik, about the pallbearers...
Oh, you know the good-for-nothing crowd...
They came every summer for fishing
and met her several times.
So they are qualified
to be the pallbearer.
Call and tell them that they are
carrying out the coffin in 2 days
so they should be here
by tomorrow.
Thanks for everything.
Yes, it would be nice
if she wakes up like last time
but I doubt it.
You just come and don't tell the others.
Yes, great.
Eun-ji.
Lee Eun-ji.
Yes, father.
How do you feel right now, Eun-ji?
I'm supposed to be sad,
but I'm not actually
We are now going
to grandmother's funeral.
Do you know what a funeral is?
Burying a dead person?
That's a part of it.
Hello?
Yeah, it's me.
What? She's awake?
Yes. Mother!
It's me.
We wrapped her hands
and feet 3 hours ago
but she suddenly opened her eyes.
Everyone was totally surprised.
She had a few spoons of food
and now that she's sighing
what if she becomes
healthy again?
I don't know.
Maybe she was just acting
to see how we react.
Who knows?
Anyways, what do we do
with all the food?
Yes. Sure. Then don't hurry
- and come here safely.
- Aunt Ham-pyeong is here.
Oh my, mother! My poor mother...
Mother!
No! It's not it.
How are you, uncle?
Hello.
Eun-ji is asleep,
can someone take her to a room?
Go ahead and come inside.
- How have you been?
- Hello.
Did you just arrive?
I'm sure it was hard coming here.
You must have been surprised a lot.
They say you blow the whistle
thanks to the governor
and it's been a feast for us.
It must be a test
from the old lady to see how you do.
Mother, it's Joon-seop.
It's me, Joon-seop.
Did you have anything?
We all ate.
Have something to eat.
There's an empty room.
Stay here for tonight.
See, she doesn't recognize
her own son.
She seems to have been weakened.
What about giving her
something to restore her health?
What restoration?
It just makes it harder
for her to leave, right?
There's an obituary
at the Honamilbo.
I think your friends
in Seoul notified them.
Go in now.
Even as a daughter,
I wanted to see her
getting buried this time.
I understand how you feel.
Even though she's recovered,
how long is the old lady going to live?
Take pains just a little more.
Why don't you stay
for the night?
How are you going
to Gwang-joo at this time?
I have to go.
- Drive safe.
- Take care, bye.
Eun-ji's grandmother is
14 times older than Eun-ji.
Last spring she had a big feast
for her 70th birthday.
Still she takes care of Eun-ji
more thoughtfully than her mother
and loves her more considerately
than her father.
You're pestering grandmother again.
It's OK, she is just a little child.
Here it is again.
But there was a mystery to Eun-ji.
Even though she is
older than mom and dad
and is the head of the house
grandmother is shorter
than mom and dad.
She gets smaller and smaller
after her 70'th birthday.
It's because you're
stealing all my age.
Grandmother was once
as tall as mom and dad
but after she became a grown-up
she gave away her age to mom and dad.
So she became shorter.
The reason why she is shrinking more
is because she is now sharing her age
with you after you were born.
Eun-ji already knew
that people grow as they age.
But I never knew my age
was coming from her grandmother.
It was amazing and thankful
but also regretful for her grandmother.
But even if you don't like it,
you will also become a grown-up.
And grandmother wants you
to grow up, too.
Of course.
If only you grow well,
I don't mind sharing my age with you.
Now my time will go
and yours will come.
Eun-ji was now happy.
She realized that rather than
being regretful for grandmother
she should grow up
with thanks to her.
Mother!
Mother!
- Mother!
- Mo... Mo, mother...
Verifying Death
Death
Invocation of the spirit of a deceased
Kwang-san Kim Family.
Ok-nam leaves.
She leaves.
No, that's not it.
She recovered but
she passed away this morning.
Yes.
Food for the Messengers of Death
Food for the Messengers of Death
Have a lot of these
and be nice to our old lady.
Hey, you kids.
Don't even think about it.
That's the food for the Messengers
who will take the dead.
They say that even dogs
don't eat that food.
Father, the house is empty,
go in.
Report of death making and sending
We should also send the news
to her friends.
Ah-chi-sil will lead the funeral
and Sae-mal here will
manage the funeral.
And an acquaintance of mine
from Hae-nam
will locate the tomb for us.
There are a lot of
geomantic topologists here,
do we really need
someone from Hae-nam?
Joon-seop will take care of everything.
Uncle, there's a phone call for you.
I'm not sure
if it's real this time.
Laying out a body for burial
Oh, mother!
How can you leave us, mother!
My poor mother!
Announcement of the death
There's a lot about
your mother in your works.
So I wanted to see how
her final moment is taken care of.
I tell you not to
make fuss here and there.
I barely persuaded the editor
for taking off near deadline.
I'm fired if I don't bring in a story.
I'm sure you'll be cooperative.
- Who is this?
- Here he comes.
Oh, Mr. Ha.
Yes, this place is...
He's the one who draw the orchid
hung at the Hall of the seniors.
- Really?
- I heard he's good at calligraphy.
Calligraphy? Yeah, right.
Follow the road straight and
you'll find the milepost that says Nam-pyeong.
Right, just follow that road.
Drive safely. See you soon.
Bring some oil, please.
Oh my, Aunt U-dong is here.
- Oh my god.
- Thanks for coming.
Where's your husband?
- Please, come in.
- He is on his way.
Yes, Doo-shik.
When will you be here?
Oh my god, sister.
Can I borrow a cigarette?
My, my! How come...
You've left us! Don't go!
Don't you recognize me?
How did you come here?
Thanks to having a famous uncle...
But it's pitiful that I only knew this
after seeing it in the newspaper.
Did I come somewhere
I'm not suppose to come?
Looks like a hard work to you.
Do you need some help?
No, thanks.
It should be
a much harder work to you.
If only I were 10 years younger,
I wouldn't make you do this.
Such an unscrupulous thing!
What was so important
to her than her own child?
A Potion of Youth?
A new husband?
She said she went to Jejudo
but there's no news
from her for a month.
She said she was going to
make money and buy a house, didn't she?
By picking the mandarins at Jejudo?
It will take a lifetime.
Bad girl.
One should take care
of one's own kids.
Oh my, what is
Uncle Pyeong-chon doing here?
She was really pretty
when she got married.
She got married
from Dok-do over there
at the age of 1 7.
She was so pretty that
the entire Jin-mok-ri area got bright.
It wasn't just the prettiness.
She was also so good at work
that she was worth two servants.
But what a fate she had!
Three years after she got married
her father-in-law past away
and then her mother-in-law
after 2 years.
Besides the husband was good
for nothing other than making kids.
So everything was
all hers to do.
Misfortunes never come singly.
What an unlucky fate she has!
Even that useless husband
suddenly died.
She raised all by herself
seven sons and daughters.
Just when things
were getting settled,
it's her eldest son now.
Five to Wando and
the rest to Cheongsando, right?
Where are you heading for?
No matter where,
can we get a ride?
No, we are going far away today.
She got him married early
to stop him fooling around.
But he sold off his land,
bought a boat,
and started a business
selling foods to island residents.
How far would a business be ran
by two alcoholic Casanovas?
Did we get the money
for the latest work?
I'm going to get it
this time.
Isn't it that you've already
spent it for your pleasure?
What are you talking about?
Soon he sold off
his boat and house
and died leaving three children.
The women with the short hair
must be her oldest daughter
from Gwang-joo.
Right.
And the ones coming out
are her daughter and
son-in-law from Ham-pyeong.
That's right.
The guy bringing a skate is Soo-nam,
Gwang-joo sister's eldest son
and the guy behind him is
the son of Ham-pyeong sister, right?
Exactly, he's her son.
I don't think you're from here.
How do you know
this family so well?
Who's the women
with the flirty clothing?
She is a stranger to me.
She seems to have come from Seoul.
What a shiny clothe.
Aunt Kang-jin,
don't you recognize me?
It's me, Yong-soon.
The despised child
of this family, Yong-soon.
Oh my, you're Yong-soon?
How long has it been?
Oh my god!
How dare she came in here!
Get out of here thief!
You are bad luck.
What? Thief?
What the fuck is this about?
Do you think I came to see you?
What's all this fuss
when I came to see my grandmother?
Get out!
You bring bad luck.
Don't touch me, you bitch.
Do you think I'm
your Kitchen Maid like before?
What? You bitch?
You guys, what are you doing?
Have you forgotten
where we are?
- It's Yong-soon, indeed!
- Who is she?
Huh? Well, she's...
She's an illegitimate child
of Joon-seop's dead brother.
Why are you saying
those unnecessary stuffs?
Get inside.
I said, let's get inside.
You're driving me crazy.
Funeral streamer
That is the registry
to the other world, so to speak.
Really? Shhhhh.
- What a good hand!
- He's indeed a noted calligrapher.
Hello?
My name is Jang Hye-rim.
I'm a reporter from
a magazine called 'Literature Times'.
Have you ever read it?
No one really reads it
other than authors.
I thought I knew quite
a lot about Mr. Lee's family.
Most of his writings
are based on his family
and I can see that
he really described the atmosphere,
even the details very accurately.
But I'm surprised to
find your existence, actually.
Why is his niece
never mentioned in his works?
A wrong question to a wrong person.
Ask the author.
What did you steal?
Steal what?
It's nothing compared to the work
I'd done for 10 years here.
Besides I paid it back
including the exact interest.
After graduating elementary school
I worked like a dog for them.
What's the big deal about using
some of her money for high school?
Fuck!
I wanted to make money
and live with my grandmother.
Do you know the song Chilgab-san?
You don't know Chilgab-san
sung by Joo Byeong-sun?
I've heard it before
but I can't sing it.
The lady working
on the bean field,
Your shirt is all wet.
What are you
so sorrowful about?
You plant tears
to every plant.
The day you got married
leaving your mother behind,
at the top of the ChiIgab-san...
I wanted to see her live
in comfort in Seoul with me.
Fuck...
Things didn't go the way I want.
What about your birth mother?
I know nothing about her.
I heard she died of illness
after going from one bar to another.
The life of that kind of girl,
you know...
Father?
I hate him but I miss him.
As much as Grandmother.
What?
They refused to give the drinks...
They told me to tell you,
I can't open a new bottle
to give your father on credit.
Pay what you've drunk so far.
Those bitches!
They used to be busy buttering me up
when I had money and now...
After father went broke
and lost his house,
the family got separated.
I lived along with my father
in a mud hut.
Who am I?
I'm asking you. Who am I?
My father.
Right. I am your father.
Who is this?
She's your mother.
A stupid bitch!
The moment I see her again,
she's a dead meat.
You still have plenty
of stuffs to sell off,
your wife and your kids.
The one thing you are good at
was to sell off the things!
How did you let go
of yourself leaving all these?
After my father could
no longer afford to buy drinks
he drank poison
and killed himself.
After my father died,
the family get together again
near grandmother's maiden home.
For me, I was better off
in the hut with my father.
Yong-soon!
Yong-soon!
I told you to
fill the water bucket.
I'm your husband's daughter,
not a servant of his family.
What? You can leave
whenever you want!
No one's stopping you!
Do you know what people say?
What do they say?
They envy you for having
a free servant to sweat.
What? Feeding, clothing,
and sending to school...
Are these what people do
for their servants? Huh?
That sounds perfectly like
what adults may say to children.
Stop it!
I have had more than
enough of it!
Hatred, quarrels, and everything!
Did the poverty breed them?
Welcome.
- How are you?
- It's been quite a while.
- You're getting prettier.
- One sea bass and one flatfish.
Never expect to
see me here, right?
Huh? Reporter Jang!
It's meeting my enemy
on a log bridge.
Are you here for condolence?
Shhh. We're the pallbearers
so we'll go there tomorrow night.
Bearing a bier is
our only job to do.
We came early to fish
while we are here.
Don't let Joon-seop know
that we're here now.
We never met today, alright?
Anyway, good timing.
Last time you managed to slip out.
But today, we'll settle things up!
My, my...
How shameful as a professor!
I'm sure you'll be the one
who'll be settled up!
What a crazy bitch!
Totally out of her minds.
Yong-soon went to
karaoke with guys.
Like mother like daughter,
a bastard daughter even!
She's having fun at the place
where her father used to drink.
How shameful!
I never saw her
this drunk before.
Give us some towel here.
How much had you two had?
A dish of raw fish and
five or six bottles of soju...
Uh! She even peed.
Just what I expected!
You're playing
a faithful son role here.
Sitting up all night
to keep grandmother company.
You are drunk.
Yes, I am.
I drank with your friends,
those gentlemen from Seoul.
Go and rest.
And there was
this Reporter Jang girl.
According to your friends,
she probably knows your body
as well as your works.
They might be right.
You seem more than a god to her.
She didn't stop praising you.
Warm, compassionate, profound and
respected author Lee Joon-seop.
So I told her the truth
that you're a hypocrite
who's different inside and out.
She didn't seem to
believe it, though.
Anyway, what are you
thinking right now?
Now that you sold off
the stories of her whole life
maybe you're thinking of
making the last story out of her death.
When I became eight
and started going to school
I was as tall as grandmother.
Sometimes grandmother fell asleep
in the kitchen or the living room
on her way back from the bathroom,
or she would look for
dead family members,
or she would make haste
getting back home
before it gets dark
while staying at her own room.
My mother gave me this beautiful
dress for my birthday present.
So I wrapped it in a cloth
to keep it clean.
Dad, how come does grandmother
only talks about her past?
And she keeps on acting
like a kid.
She gives away her age to you
and the wisdom in it
leaves her as her age does.
That's why.
She goes back to her past
as much as the ages
she gives to you
and gets younger and younger.
It was amazing and appreciative
but at the same time
it weighed on my mind
to know that it was my fault.
To be a grown-up
you can't refuse
your grandmother's wisdom.
Being a grown up is
not only about height
but also about your wisdom as well.
Grandmother is sharing
her age and wisdom with you
and going back
to her happy childhood life.
Eventually she became
your best friend.
Isn't it something grateful
for both you and grandmother?
It was indeed something
to thank for.
Grandmother's wisdom
is making me a decent adult.
Whenever her daughter-in-law's out
she would make dinner
again and again.
And she would take the dried laundry
and wash it again and again.
The persimmon tree would get
thrashed before the fruits get ripe.
God, it's not a chestnut
you're dealing with.
They aren't even ripe yet.
It's too early to pick them.
You lazy things will
never finish picking these...
Providing the dead with foods
One hundred bags of rice.
One hundred bags!
One thousand bags of rice.
One thousand bags!
Ten thousand bags of rice.
Ten thousand bags!
What an incredible energy
she had as an 80-year-old lady!
In one blink, she's 10 miles away
and in a moment she's gone again.
Her daughter-in-law was
so busy chasing her
she didn't even have time to pee.
At least two or three times a month,
all the villagers
had to make a fuss
to look for that old lady
who used to be missing even
in another village far from here.
Everybody gets fagged out after all.
Mother!
Aunt! Aunt!
- I found her!
- Aunt!
She's here!
Wonder why she ended up
at a retired spot like this.
Who would know?
She might have been
following a messenger from Hades.
Hold tight!
Washing and clothing a corpse
Don't leave us...
As I was working on the field
I saw smoke coming
out of this house.
So we came here in such a haste
to fine the air thick
with smoke in the room
and the old lady
rolling on the terrace stone.
She just wanted to light
a cigarette but boy...
It almost burned out
the entire house.
Mother, no more cigarettes
from now on.
Mother, short hair
is the vogue these days.
People even like
having their hair permed.
So don't feel bad
about cutting this.
What's the matter, darling?
Oh my, look at this hair.
Open your mouth...
And I promise I'll give
this hairpin back to you
so don't worry.
It was obviously a hard work
to take care of her long hair
and the babies would chew on it.
I guess they had no choice
but cut it.
But for the old, the long hair
with the ornamental hairpin
stands for the womanhood
That's probably why
she lost her shame
and became more senseless
after that.
Mother, here's rice
and baked potato.
Have them when you're hungry.
I have to go to work
at the bean field.
I'll be back at sunset.
Don't move an inch.
Take care of your needs here.
I feel stuffy.
Take me with you.
It's not like we put her
into prison or something.
We just put a bolt
on the door.
If not, she would disappear again!
We can't follow her all day long.
It would leave us no one
to bring home the bacon.
Was Mr. Lee also aware of this?
Of course.
They are her son and daughter-in-law.
She can't make such
a decision by herself.
They probably discussed the matter
and made the decision together.
After all, it cost him a fortune.
Every time he comes here, he prepared
presents for the whole village
to make up for the troubles
that his mother caused.
Placing a body in a coffin
Placing a body in a coffin
Grandmother!
Now, she's leaving us for good
so let her keep your memorabilia.
Mother, remember that I promised
to return the hairpin to you
when I cut your hair?
Here, take this.
You'll be fabulous
with this one on.
Mother, if you miss me,
look at this.
Mother, find father again and
live happily in a better land.
Oh, I forgot something.
Grandmother, I'm sure you'll
go to a better place, right?
Here's your travelling expenses
to the other world.
Grandmother.
Take my painful waist with you.
And my painful knees, too.
About a month ago...
She looked sound in mind
and she showed this to me,
saying that she's taking this
with her when she goes.
Later I found out
that those are Buddhist amulets.
She went to three different temples
in one day and collect these
during the leap month
that comes every three years.
She seemed to believe
that it would bless her children.
Usually she'd never be near a temple
but she walked up and down
looking for famous temples,
three different temples in one day...
In order to collect
these amulets.
This weak old lady went through
all those rough mountains.
No one would know
how she managed to do it.
But it's obvious for whom
she did it with all her heart.
Here, take a look at it
and put it in the coffin
by yourself.
To collect all those amulets,
it must have taken
at least 10 years
but I never knew
while we're under the same roof.
She must have kept it a secret
lest the hard work might
leak even a little...
Grandmother became even shorter.
She looked like
a younger child than I am.
Even her speech and action
became closer to that
of a small child.
She would go into her tantrums
asking me to play boring stuffs.
And sometimes she even ruined
the stuffs that I cherished.
Hey.
Eun-ji.
Watch your behave.
Grandmother's been taking
care of you since you were born
and she became a kid
sharing her age with you.
So now you should take
good care of her, right?
I grew up well thanks to
her ceaseless love and care.
I felt shameful about
grumbling at Grandmother.
Finally, I realized that
now I myself was her guardian.
One, two...
Why is the stick so short...
Because those who let go
of their parents are sinners
and they can't stand straight
and look at the sky.
That's it!
You should understand the meaning.
We're supposed
to be sinners here.
You are not here
to show off your dress.
Stop being a slut even for a day!
Get rid of that horrible dress
and change into a ragged cloth, OK?
I'm just trying to ease her soul.
I didn't ask you to pay
for the dress so don't say anything.
Didn't I tell you?
I do it my way.
Look at how she talks!
Since you came in for the funeral
I was trying to
take it as commendable
and you're saying that you're
pleasing her with this eye-sour on.
How thoughtless you are!
Right, then you're so thoughtful
to lock her up and cut her hair.
- What!
- Mother is going to sigh on her way.
I beg you to stop this
until the funeral is over.
You two are old enough to know
how to behave in front of others.
Setting up the funeral room
Setting up the funeral room
Father, I'm sorry
for not coming here sooner.
I could've come here
if I had decided to.
What's wrong with those dogs?
Dogs can be bored, too.
Ask them if you
really want to know.
Yong-soon is an important part
of your family history, isn't she?
Why haven't you ever
mentioned her in your works?
She doesn't seem to have
good feelings towards you.
Is it because you didn't
take care of grandmother?
It might be the reason.
It's true that I didn't
have her with me in my house.
But that's not all.
I'm looking for Lee Joon-seop.
Yong-soon!
What brought you here?
One day, she paid a surprise visit.
It was first time to see her
since she'd left us.
I heard you got an award
for your novel "Snow-covered Road"
and that you got
five million won for the prize.
How do you know that?
My roommate is quite into literature.
At that time I barely made
a living working at a magazine company
and was often drunk in daytime
for a feeling of helplessness.
One day, I got an award.
I took it as a good luck
for an unknown author like me
but it turned out
to be a trouble-maker
I never had sour pork before.
Actually I came for a favor.
There's a bar called 'Paradise'
in Cheon-ho-dong.
If I get a corner there,
I can make a lot of money.
So my friend and I
decided to give it a go.
Can you lend me
the prize money?
I'm not asking you
to give it to me.
I'll repay within a year.
That money is to be used
to rebuild the house in Jang-hung.
You know the situation there.
Grandmother is staying
in a rented room
because the family
doesn't have a house.
They aren't having it
built right now.
I promise I'll pay back
within a year.
Is the house
such an urgent matter?
What if you didn't win the prize?
Fine.
Why would you lend me money?
I'm just an illegitimate niece
that you have no affection for!
I must've been crazy
to come here.
Right, you're an exalted novelist
selling out the hard life
of the family for your success.
It's no wonder that you don't
take me as a human being, huh?
I won't ask your money.
Instead, don't you ever sell my story!
Rock, scissors, paper!
You guys, come over here.
Mr. Woo-rok is here!
My condolence...
How deplorable...
Listen, you don't know
how to season vegetables?
If you can't tell sugar from salt
you shouldn't have cooked!
Who's going to eat
this sweet vegetables?
Don't yell at me!
It won't transform
the sugar into salt!
This is Mr. Woo-rok,
who will locate the tomb site.
From the left, former school principal,
former head of town, and
former head of Farmer's Associate.
These are the family elders.
Though we have a lot of
geomantic topographer in town
Joon-seop especially
asked to invited you.
It proves that
you're quite a specialist.
So how are you planning
to locate a propitious site?
The immediate propitiousness
comes from the virtue
of the deceased person.
The propitiousness
in the long run
depends on how
the descendents take care of it.
I only follow
what the reason of the world says.
Confucianism is
a present-oriented religion.
It's more of a philosophy
and rules than of a religion.
But Confucianism makes an exception.
It allows the name of god
only to the past ancestors.
Filial piety while the parents
are alive is a virtue
but after their death,
it's religion.
That's how much important
and holy the filial piety is.
Confucianism could be considered
as a religion for that.
Then funeral must be
the contact point
between life rules and religion.
Exactly.
The traditional funeral process
is so complex
that it used to
last for 3 years.
This must be considered
as confucianist way of turning
someone of this world
into a subject of religious belief.
Ancestral rites are religious
ceremonies to express filial piety
and funeral is
the most important part of it.
Ok, I'll tell that to Joon-seop.
What? He went to the mountain?
How can the chief mourner
leave the house?
I'm sure Joon-seop
didn't go out without thoughts.
I know that he's a good writer
but it doesn't mean that
he knows well about funerals.
He probably went airing himself
because there weren't
as much people as he expected.
Can you give me
a cup of water?
Oh my, finally I see you
in the kitchen.
Well, the aunt from Gwang-joo
asked for water.
Do you think you're done
with your charge at the funeral
just by talking on the phone?
Don't you care about
other's attention?
Roll up your sleeves
and pretend to help at least.
We expected a flood of people
judging from your husband's reputation.
Who's going to
eat up all this food?
He doesn't like troubling people
so he didn't inform
a lot of people.
His mother is dead!
He shouldn't try to save
his face in this situation!
Why is she so bent
to eat you up?
You remembered she asked money
to build a room closer
to the bathroom for mother.
But she bought a cabinet inlaid
with that money, instead.
The money you gave her
for a new boiler
was spent on the renovation
of her kitchen after all.
With that much of money
she would have three boilers at least.
She used all excuses
related to the old one
to get money from you.
She must have troubled you a lot.
And why does she have
so much against you?
Hey, anyway
what happened about my son
getting a job in the publishing house?
I'm a close friend of Joon-seop.
I went to the same elementary
and middle school with him.
I already know that but...
I'm asking you your opinion on him.
Joon-seop is a genius,
a real genius.
Once he learns one thing,
he's fast to learn the rest.
Hey, you, reporter!
I'm not done with my story.
What an annoying reporter!
Look at you, all restored!
Did you catch a lot?
No, absolutely nothing!
It was a sight last night.
I've never passed out
drinking before.
How embarrassing!
He's the best singer in town.
He said he had another schedule
but I brought him here
using your fame.
Thank you for giving me
such an honorable work.
Thank you for coming
all the way.
Nowadays people simplify
the process of the funeral.
So we'll do the First
and Second watch together at nine,
Third Watch at one,
and since the it's a bit cold
we'll skip Fourth and Fifth.
As you wish, sir.
- Soo-nam...
- Yes.
That old man is quite a player
in seducing women.
He uses his singing skill
to move girls.
You have to be watchful of yours.
- Hello.
- How are you?
We tried to come earlier
but he was late.
He's always sneaky
like that, you know.
Are you here to fish or to drink?
Well, you already knew?
She passed away at the age of 87.
It's not something to be sad about.
It must have unloaded your heart.
It's the chief mourner that you're talking to!
How rude!
Why not call it a feast?
Such rude people!
Laugh, guys.
I can't but you guys laugh
and lighten up the atmosphere.
No coffin goes out without a song.
The song I sing
can make her last step
either comfortable or miserable.
Sir!
My grandmother had
such a hard time in life.
Please console her spirit
with good song.
It can't be done just by voice.
Human emotions must be
melted in it.
There's a singer in every town
but good ones are
never easy to be found.
My bladder's bursting,
where's the bathroom?
Wow, It took 7 hours
for four hundred kilometer road.
Oh, my back aches.
What are all these guests
coming at once?
Get ready to serve them.
Let's do it all at once.
We have too much pallbearers.
I don't know who to exclude.
Mr. Choi Eun-chul
came with me, by the way.
Here he comes.
You came a long way.
Never mind.
This is my brother-in-law.
- My condolence.
- Welcome.
Nice to meet you.
He's a critic.
He writes about
other literary works.
He's well known in the field.
A lot of famous writers
become modest in front of him.
- Thank you for coming here.
- Nice to meet you.
This is Kwon Young-gil
from Nampo Bank.
- How do you do?
- Nice to meet you.
This is Mr. Kim
from Dae-dong stock company.
Miss, you're so lovely.
Even at the funeral
of tasteful noblemen,
gisaeng used to be found.
There should probably be those
who left this world
listening them singing.
You're really lovely.
I need some more.
Excuse me,
bring some more drinks here.
Disgusting...
He acts like he's here
to drink with a gisaeng.
I know.
Wow, an avalanche of cars!
What are they all here for?
Next time there's
a funeral in Joon-seop's family,
we have to widen the road first.
I said move this car out.
Hurry, move out!
All right, go ahead!
Oh my, it's the mayor.
The chief of the general
affairs section is with him.
The mayor has arrived.
It's crowded here,
get out, kids!
Oh my god...
He passed out
even before the First Watch.
This is troublesome.
Who gave him this much of drinks?
Wow, the mayor came to Jin-mok-ri.
It's the first
after the typhoon Sarah.
What are you doing?
Clean the room for the mayor.
- My condolence.
- You must have a busy schedule.
It must be harder
for you as a filial son.
Stop the bullshit
and go have a drink, buddy.
That's a vulgar thing
to say as a chief mourner...
If you just extend it
by 20 meters,
it would also work as a breakwater
when a typhoon comes.
Why is that so hard to do?
We gave in a petition
concerning that subject
but people were busy
passing it on to others.
They don't even take it seriously.
- There's the budget problem and...
- We're not asking you.
I think you're responsible
to answer to that problem.
I said we need another deck.
Oh, you still didn't get it?
Hey, what are you doing?
Bring him one!
The mayor went to
the same school with us
but he's ignoring
our request for a new road.
It's kind of disappointing.
Well, if he thinks
he fulfilled his obligations
by sending some money
and visiting a few times a year,
then he can be said devoted
to his mother by his definition.
What the hell are you doing?
Start playing yut right now!
Hurry up and come here!
Brother!
That son of a bitch is cheating!
I came here
on behalf of Seo Jae-soo.
- Can I have an envelope?
- Sure.
Why do you keep drinking when
you know you can no longer take it?
OK, OK.
What are you doing
in that crowded room?
Get out of there.
Why are you asking
such touchy questions?
If you want to know
something about mother, ask her.
In the old days,
they would taste the parents stool
to check their health,
bit their fingers
to feed them blood
and made medicine
out of their own thigh flesh.
When we were growing up
we obeyed our parents even responding
to their unreasonable orders.
Nowadays, no one really
knows the filial piety.
To my surprise,
your reputation here
goes from extreme to extreme.
There are those who respect you
for the pride of Jang-hung
and there's also
doubt and hurl against you.
Why is that?
As a college graduate,
I should've been a lawyer or a judge
but I disappointed them
by becoming a useless writer.
Well, is that so...
There are lots of guests.
I said there are
a lot of guests.
I think we're paying the penalty
of author Lee Joon-seop's fame
all together.
Dad, don't you know
mom is sick of this reporter lady?
Mr. Paek-am is here.
Good timing.
Can you introduce me to him?
I met him before
but he probably forgot.
Aunt, phone call.
Hello?
- This is reporter Jang from Literature Times.
- Yes, Mr. Kim.
- How do you do?
- Where are you now?
I met you before
at a literature awards ceremony.
Yes.
- Dae-jeon...
- Pleasure to meet a beautiful lady.
- Thank you, I was thinking of...
- He's a little busy right now.
Then call back in 30 minutes.
- Come here.
- Why?
Kim Sang-sik from Seoul
is waiting on the phone.
Do I have to answer
all those little phone calls?
We already released
a lot of money
but they want some more
for card game.
- Honey.
- What!
Release some more money
for card game here.
How much?
Adequately!
Why do you ask every time?
Senile dementia is a disease.
It's caused by
the death of brain cells.
The worst part of this disease is
that it's not just the patient who suffers
but all the family members
suffer together.
The thing Reagan had,
Alzheimer something is the same one.
The press says he can't
even recognize his own secretary.
Even the American president
can't buck against time.
Great! Five points!
Since it's doubled...
Then, I got ten points.
Give me the money.
What are you doing?
Get out!
Hurry up and shuffle.
Give me the money first.
Let's pay what we got to pay.
I said, shuffle.
You have to pay first, I said.
Who fed this old man
all this alcohol?
What do you mean?
He drank all by himself.
This is a disaster!
Let's go, father.
Let him just rest for a while.
He needs to do his job here.
If you take him now
who's going to do
the First through Third Watch?
Who the hell cares about Watch
when he's about to have
his own funeral?
- You can t just go.
- I don't care!
Shake them before you throw them.
It's easy to manipulate
the result if not shaking!
Here Fine?
Are you happy?
Your turn is canceled!
Pass if one of them
is dropped while shaking.
Look at how this bastard talks!
What are you staring at?
What are you doing?
Throw them.
What happened? What happened?
The guy from Hyun-ji is also unavailable.
What? He isn't?
Why?
There's also a funeral
in that town.
Oh my god.
Why did you get such a singer
and ruin this important business?
I can do it myself.
I've got things
learned by the ear.
What? You do it?
First Watch
First Watch
It's nine o'clock.
We need to do the First Watch
so gather the people around.
Stop playing yut
and come down here.
And guests from Seoul, too.
Ceremony for First Watch begins.
First Watch ceremony begins!
Yeah.
Wait, wait,
listen what you say...
Didn't you have
anything to eat?
You have to scream more!
We're starting over again.
Again begin!
Guests from Seoul,
this is not a karaoke.
- There's no microphone.
- Wow, he's not bad.
- He wouldn't boast without thinking.
- Open your mouth widely and...
Right, stop being
pretentious and sing!
You're here for nothing
but to play card games or what...
Now, now, we're starting over.
Begin!
The Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.
The Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.
When will we ever see you again?
Tell us when we can see you again.
The Goddess of Mercy.
The Buddhist Goddess of Mercy
The mountains are...
It was my winter vacation
after fourth grade.
Grandmother now became
too childish to play with me.
But no matter how
childish she acts,
mom and dad takes good care of her,
as if it was natural.
How smaller is
grandmother going to be?
I was worried
about what will happen
when she shares all her age.
After she shares all her age,
she becomes a newborn baby.
And finally after
she can't get any smaller,
Grandmother will one day
go to another world
leaving us behind.
Dad's reply was
exactly what I worried.
That meant that
she will pass away.
I decided not to
take any more of her age.
My kind-hearted daughter...
I'm sure that you'll be sad
over Grandmother's death.
But even if she leaves us,
that doesn't mean
her soul also disappears.
The only thing that disappears
is her shriveled body
and her soul will last
and get a new body
to come back to this world
as a newborn baby somewhere.
It's like a caterpillar of a butterfly
transforming inside a cocoon
and finally breaking out of it
to be a butterfly.
But I wasn't sure
if that happens to everyone.
I wondered if it's guaranteed
for all including grandmother.
But not all the soul
can be reborn as a new life.
It will happen to only those
who lived with virtue here.
Now I was worried about
where grandmother will be reborn
and whether we will be able to
recognize her in her new body.
And it worsened after I heard
that people of this world
don't get to know
where she will be reborn.
It was during the Korean War.
This town also had conflicts
between left and right.
Then one day a corpse
was found on the streets
and everyone tried to
get away from it.
No one dared to bury it
out of fear.
But she called me and said
that those who just ignore it
are as bad as those who killed.
She even asked me
to help her bury the corpse.
Well, I...
At the time it was really tense
and one might get in trouble
with a lightest mistake.
So I was hesitatingly
when she said
You're not a human being!
Don't you dare come
to my funeral.
And she started
doing it by herself.
How could you not help her after that?
So we buried it
together over there.
She really is tenacious
in that manner.
My mother is going
to go to a good place.
She did a lot of
virtuous things.
Even during the hard times,
she would never refuse a beggar.
And she fed them
together with the family.
When they would stir the food
with their dirty spoons
even we were sickened
by the sight.
No need to talk about Joon-seop
who had a weak stomach.
Even if her children
can't enjoy the food,
she didn't stop serving them
on the same table.
My husband had a profligate lifestyle
when he was young.
So one day,
I was determined to fix that
and ran away
to my maiden home.
But mother wouldn't
even let me sit down.
No matter how I begged
to stay just one night
she pushed me out
to the town entrance
and wouldn't even
let me turn back.
And she kept on waving her hand.
I can still remember that wave
unclear whether telling me
to come or to go.
It's still vivid to my eyes.
I'm a son-in-law
in this family.
- Hello.
- How do you do?
You people seem to
be aspiring authors.
Yes.
If you're going to write a novel,
Joon-seop is a good role model.
In my opinion, Joon-seop
will be the first in Korea
- to win Nobel Prize in literature.
- Go and put him to sleep.
This is 750 thousand won
from selling the crops.
Now start the game again.
Let's stop here.
What?
You're here for a funeral,
not to gamble.
Right. It would be best
to stop here.
It's for fun,
not to make a fortune.
Shut up, you queer.
What? What did you say?
I called you a queer.
If you're not, why did
your wife ran away from you?
What? Do you have proof?
Sheer nonsense!
You yourself must be a queer.
You rascal!
What's wrong with this guy?
If you want me, say so.
- What a brilliant guess!
- Stop trying to cower people.
You rustics...
Who are you anyways?
What if I say
I'm Lee Joon-seop's niece?
What? You're scared
now that I'm his niece?
Stop this.
Let's put it an end here.
It's over.
Get out.
Let's go.
Let's go play somewhere else.
Let's go. Get up.
Sure. Let's go.
- How much?
- He took a whole stack?
You recorded it, right?
I wrote the serial number
but I'm not sure about
the amount of money in each envelope.
It's OK if you don't
know the amount
but you can't
miss anyone's name.
Uncle, how can they do this?
It's not your business.
It's all my debt.
That Simplification of Family
Ceremonies or that gibberish
got rid of all the formalities.
And it turned marriage
into a ten minute ceremony,
degraded funerals
into getting rid of the corpse
and turned ancestral rites
into a feast among living people.
You're going to pass out.
Your uncle and brother
are receiving the guests
so you take some rest.
To do it right,
you have to mourn for 3 years
but no one does that
these days.
Some stop mourning
after the Third Ceremony
- and a year is as much as it gets.
- Thanks for coming all the way.
We finished your book
so that we can publish it
before the funeral.
Thank you.
Mother, the guilt of not being
able to take care of you
in my place,
I described it all in this book.
This is the last one.
Let's stop it.
Are you trying to stop it
because you won?
This is the money I won, OK?
Do you think I'm a beggar?
Leave him.
Don't bother to stop them.
He needs some beating up.
He is well deserved it
even a hundred times.
The Third Watch
The Third Watch
Ceremony for Third Watch begins.
How can he sing
so drunk like that?
Third Watch ceremony begins!
Third Watch ceremony begins!
Don't be sad,
don't be sad.
She died old and rich.
The elder daughter-in-law
waited for the day
she passes down
the supreme charge of the house.
What if she wakes up again!
The elder goes pitapat.
Let's have fun,
let's have fun.
If not today,
we have no other days.
Having fun, having fun!
Yippee, whoopee, hurrah!
What an awesome day, hurrah!
No one will refuse.
Let's have some fun!
What are you putting on it?
She never ate those
when she was alive.
Do you think she will now?
How dare you even show up
so much drunk like this?
Get out.
Why? Is it because
I'm a bastard child?
Then how noble are you people?
Aren't you guys mistaken
because you're described well
in uncle's novel?
Yeah, right!
Maybe uncle's novels are
good PR for the family
but in reality no one here
is serving her sincerely.
So let me serve her
in my way!
This is too much.
I tried to hold it
until the funeral's over
but I can't take it anymore.
Are you the only one
who cares about grandmother?
Where were you when
she was most in need?
Good or bad, everyone here
kept her company while she was alive.
You always received from grandmother
but did nothing for her.
Is missing her and whining like this
taking care of grandmother?
Do you think we mean it
when we speak softly about grandmother?
Now grandmother mumbles like a baby
or sleeps day and night
crouching like a baby in a womb.
She hardly moves or speaks.
But I'm not ashamed
of her at all.
Grandmother is almost ready
to leave us and be reborn.
It was very sad
to farewell to grandmother.
I would rather want her
to be with us
than be reborn as a new baby.
She can't because of
the brimming love in her heart.
You know that people
gain wisdom as they age, right?
And when you are
filled with wisdom
it turns to love because
you want to share it with others.
All the good conducts
she did to others,
they're out of
that love in her heart.
According to my dad,
it's all out of love that
she shared her age, height, and wisdom
and that she is leaving us as a baby
and will be reborn as a new person.
Love in her heart
lead her to do those.
Are you up?
This is your mother's bus.
It's not just a bus.
It's a v20 ultra-luxury bus.
Where's the gas?
I need some energy.
This bus doesn't go on gas.
It goes by earnestness.
There's no one else
I can ask for a cigarette.
Sure, go ahead.
Have you heard
about the rain bird?
It's a bird
who doesn't have its own nest
so every time it rains,
he moves from this tree
to there and cries.
What a weird bird.
It's a bird from Mr. Lee's novel.
Every time the rain bird cries
she would say
What a fate
to have no nest as a bird.
And she's worried
about someone in the family
who left to earn money and
would probably having a hard time
in unfamiliar places.
So she would spread feeds
near the tree
so the rain birds
can rest there.
I'm sure your grandmother
had that affection
but I think it's too much
to expect from an Alzheimer.
A writer expresses his ideas
through the characters in his novel.
Of course, they don't always
live up to what they write
but then again
novels are a list of excuses.
This is Lee Joon-seop's
first children's story.
Do you want to read it?
Pay it first.
- I said I'll pay you.
- So hurry up and pay me.
OK, OK. I'll leave this watch.
It's probably only worth 5000 won.
This is it? No way.
Then since I have to bear
the pall right now...
- It's almost time. We have to go.
- I'll borrow money there...
Get money from the funeral?
How ruthless.
They are going to carry out
the coffin now. Let's go.
What, you're taking your money
and leaving like that?
Come here.
He has to be there
when they carry out the coffin.
Who the hell are you?
Get out of here.
Hurry up. We're late.
Hey! Shit!
Come in!
Be quiet.
What's that fuss!
- Let's start a new game.
- He's trying to pay with a 5000 won watch.
What? They looked like gentlemen.
They'd better stayed
at the funeral house
instead of buying a girl here.
Good job.
Look at those bastards!
You guys drink all you want
and be late for pall bearing?
Crazy bastards. Are you going to
do this when your parents die?
Good job, good job.
Ceremony before carrying out a coffin
This is your last meal.
Have plenty of them.
Here's your favorite fern, bellflower
and fish so have a plentiful of them.
The Buddhist Goddess of Mercy
Moving a coffin
When will we ever Moving
a coffin 1258 see you again?
Will you come back
when the cock cries
cock-a-doodle-doo
from the roof?
In the pot...
Last farewell
on the way to a burial place
Have a lot of food.
Help yourselves.
Here are some drinks.
The Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.
The Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.
The Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.
The Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.
Take care of her
with great care.
Take care of her
fair and fine.
Even with a lot of friends
who will go instead?
Even with a lot of family
who will accompany?
Harsh and sorrowful world...
Still it must be hard to leave.
Nature gets younger
and we get older.
You young fellows,
Do not laugh at the grey hair.
I was a youth yesterday.
But time flies by.
It was a warm spring day.
Grandmother who just
woke up from a long nap
looked out the window
with a bright face.
Grandmother was done
preparing to leave the family.
Eighty years of long life
just flows like the wind.
The wind passes by,
the cloud passes by
and I pass by with them.
The Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.
Lowering a coffin
The Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.
Take care of her
with great care.
Take care of her
fair and fine.
The Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.
Take care of her
with great care.
Filling the soil
Father said
Grandmother must have finished
giving away her age today.
I saw the white and old figure
left by grandmother's soul
that silently left the body
like a neatly folded clothe.
And I felt deeply sorry.
It seemed like
grandmother's soul was carried
by the white butterfly.
What I can do at most
is to hope
that her soul will be reborn
as the most beautiful
and kind baby.
Thank you grandmother.
You can leave without worries.
I'll take care of
the age you gave me.
And I'll give them
to the new born babies
when I am a grown-up.
I made a promise to myself.
Returning with the ancestral tablet
First Memorial Service
Mother!
I didn't know
you would leave like this.
Sorrowful and deplorable...
Oh, mother.
To live with you, mother...
I bought and stayed
at this house...
Eun-ji, where are the kids?
We're taking a picture.
They went out for boating.
- Get Yong-soon.
- What?
Uncle wants you.
Fix your clothes please.
What photograph?
Is a photo going to
turn the ugly into the beauty?
Cheese.
Kimchi.
Say kimchi.
Right, smile.
Hey, Lee Joon-seop.
We can't but you laugh.
Are we mourning or what?