neumu [ cinematronic ]




	The Way Home
	Jeong-hyang Lee CAST Eul-boon Kim, Seung-ho Yu, Hyo-hee Dong 2002		In "The Way Home," a young boy from the city of Seoul, Korea, is forced to live with his elderly, stooped, simple, near-saintly grandmother in a rural province. Seven-year-old Sang-woo is out in the boonies because his mother is short on funds, needs to find work and feels comfortable ditching the kid with mute, illiterate Grandma. As obstinate as he is at the start of his banishment from the urban, modern society that he knows, Sang-woo is sure to discover the value of Grandma's unconditional love and the uncomplicated joys of country life. At least, it's that likely from the get-go, and it's what director Jeong-hyang Lee wants you to want while you watch "The Way Home." Effective? Yes, but Sang-woo is so damned obnoxious that you may be looking for The Way Out (of the theater) way before the end of the film. It's excruciating to see this pathetic brat become even more annoying as the film goes on until, from desperation, illness-inspired epiphany or bribery by candy, Sang-woo starts to appreciate the old gal. "The Way Home'" is a good argument for corporal punishment.