Wonangsori

I saw this completely out of dumb luck at the mom and pop video store in my neighborhood. The owners are Korean and have been putting in lots of Korean titles as well as your usual USA blockbusters, which is just FANTASTIC.

I had no idea the kind of power this film would have over me. Though I'm American-raised, suburban-fed, this movie moved me in ways I cannot explain effectively in words.

It is definitely the kind of documentary that doesn't teach you anything new, but reminds you of all the old things you should never forget. It makes you FEEL more than SEE anything with your mortal eyes.

It is charming and funny in its own way. You'll chuckle, you'll laugh, but most of all you will FEEL and THINK about this movie long after it's over.

Of the three dozen films I managed to see at Sundance this year, "Old Partner" was my favorite, despite some extremely tough competition. It took me completely by surprise and left me wondering how on earth it came about. (First-time director Chung-ryoul Lee wasn't present for a Q&A, so I wasn't able to ask.) I don't see it getting any kind of significant distribution in the U.S., but I'm hoping against hope that I'm wrong.

I mean, seriously: why would you make a documentary about a South Korean farmer, his oddly lovable harpy of a wife, and their ox, as the three of them approach the ends of their lives together? I have no idea, but this film made me laugh and cry and recall once again (just in case I was in any danger of forgetting) how astonishing the medium of film can be in the right hands.

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I read how the film came about in an interview with the director. The director wanted to make a story about "forgotten father" and remembered his father, who worked with his ox all the time. He says the saddest thing in the world is not disappearing, but being forgotten. He had to awaken his father and the ox "sealed" in his childhood memories and wanted to bring the memories back to present. He was then searching for an old ox all over Korea and met the old man and the ox and started filming in 2005. This movie is a dedication to his father and all fathers who seem distant to their children. He wanted to depict such relationship (or lack thereof) in this film.

This is documentary film which beat the blockbusters and occupied number 3 in Korean box office, Feb 2nd week. Normally ox lives 15 years though most of them die much earlier to give beef to human. This ox was 10 years old when he met the old man 30 years ago. Now the ox is 40 years old, it seems. Vet said he will die anytime. Old man loves the ox. He is his friend, his car, his partner. He does not use any chemicals for farming on fear of ox eat the grass and get sick. He does not feed the ox man-made feeds but only fresh grass he collects himself. Many people ask the old man to sell the ox for beef before he dies but old man wants to keep him until he dies and bury himself with funeral. There is minimum dialog, with real people but story line is very clear and gripping. Many people including young people said they cried as much as they want but felt so good after the movie. The old ox also cry himself in the movie. Original title Wo-Nang means the metal bell Korean ox carries on his neck.

Saw this movie in a plane flying across the Pacific. A tender, soft, quiet movie that moved me to tears. Made me reminisce the relationship I have with people I know, how we take for granted the human relationship we have seen in the context of a farmer's relationship with his ox. It makes us think about the brief cycle of life, how the ending can be long drawn out and painful, how we can lessen and share other being's pains and sufferings.

This movie was able to say so much with so few words. Temple Grandin tells us animals make us human; I would like to add animals make us gentle and loving, because not all humans can be gentle and loving.