Treeless Mountain is a simple tale from South Korea. It concerns two very young girls, Jin and Bin, who are placed in the care of their cynical aunt, after their mother can no longer care for them.
The film's focus is almost exclusively on the two children (marvelously played by two wonderful child actors, Hee-yeon Kim as Jin and Song-hee Kim as Bin). We follow Jin and Bin trying to fill their piggy bank with coins after their mother promises them she will return as soon as they've collected enough coins to fill the bank. With great self-sufficiency, they end up selling cooked grasshoppers to local kids for coins which they can place in the piggy bank. They even realize they can fill up the piggy bank much faster by exchanging larger coins for smaller one's. Often the girls find themselves hungry as their aunt doesn't want to lose extra money buying them food. Jin has been charged by her mother to look after her younger sister and she's the one who informs Bin that their mother is probably not coming back.
Finally, the girl's aunt no longer feels she can take care of the children, so she brings them to live with her elderly parents in the country. At the film's climax, the girls seem to be doing better since their grandmother appears to be a loving person who is truly interested in their welfare.
The film's strength lies in ably presenting an indelible portrait of childhood. There is, of course, a great touch of sadness, as we watch the children trying to cope after losing their mother. By the same token, the audience feels dissatisfied since we never learn why the mother abandoned the children (if she was destitute, how did that come about? Further, what were the problems she was having with her husband that led her to abandon the children?).
In addition to the failure to answer the mystery concerning the mother, there aren't enough dramatic moments in the plot to keep the story moving forward in a satisfactory manner. At some point, the children need to face a tangible, external crisis which must be resolved. The abandonment by the mother is merely the inciting incident--a series of deepening crises needed to happen but never were proffered.
Despite the touching performances of the two principals, Treeless Mountain is a bit too mundane to deserve accolades as true art house fare.
The film's focus is almost exclusively on the two children (marvelously played by two wonderful child actors, Hee-yeon Kim as Jin and Song-hee Kim as Bin). We follow Jin and Bin trying to fill their piggy bank with coins after their mother promises them she will return as soon as they've collected enough coins to fill the bank. With great self-sufficiency, they end up selling cooked grasshoppers to local kids for coins which they can place in the piggy bank. They even realize they can fill up the piggy bank much faster by exchanging larger coins for smaller one's. Often the girls find themselves hungry as their aunt doesn't want to lose extra money buying them food. Jin has been charged by her mother to look after her younger sister and she's the one who informs Bin that their mother is probably not coming back.
Finally, the girl's aunt no longer feels she can take care of the children, so she brings them to live with her elderly parents in the country. At the film's climax, the girls seem to be doing better since their grandmother appears to be a loving person who is truly interested in their welfare.
The film's strength lies in ably presenting an indelible portrait of childhood. There is, of course, a great touch of sadness, as we watch the children trying to cope after losing their mother. By the same token, the audience feels dissatisfied since we never learn why the mother abandoned the children (if she was destitute, how did that come about? Further, what were the problems she was having with her husband that led her to abandon the children?).
In addition to the failure to answer the mystery concerning the mother, there aren't enough dramatic moments in the plot to keep the story moving forward in a satisfactory manner. At some point, the children need to face a tangible, external crisis which must be resolved. The abandonment by the mother is merely the inciting incident--a series of deepening crises needed to happen but never were proffered.
Despite the touching performances of the two principals, Treeless Mountain is a bit too mundane to deserve accolades as true art house fare.