YONHAP NEWS

(Movie Review) Mother-daughter drama 'Aeja' amusing but generic

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- Creating a film about a mother-daughter relationship is a bit like writing about romance -- in both cases, the creator confronts the challenge of finding something new to say about a subject so commonly discussed that all but the most inspired story sounds trite or overblown.

"Aeja," unfortunately, appears to fall short in its attempt to draw something new out of a timeworn subject.

Basing the title on the leading female character's somewhat dowdy name, "Aeja" begins nice and humorously, drawing laughs with the youthful mischief and thick local accent of high school girls in Busan.

Full of mischief, but a straight-A student with dreams of becoming a famous writer one day, Aeja (Choi Kang-hee) is perfectly content with her teenage life -- if her headstrong mother (Kim Young-ae) would just leave her alone.

   Angered and hurt by her mother's seemingly lopsided affection for her elder brother, Aeja moves to Seoul straight after graduating high school and avoids contact with her family for years.

   Fast-forwarding a decade, Aeja, now 29-years-old is disappointed with how her life has turned out: her longtime sweetheart cheats on her, she has failed to make a literary debut despite years of effort and has a hard time keeping the bread on the table.

   Refusing to give up, Aeja channels her energy into a writing contest that offers a large cash prize, landing an unexpected job that may hold sway to her future writing career.

Then one day, Aeja receives a call from her mother that she may only have a few months to live. Returning to her family after years of estrangement, Aeja begins to learn new things about her mother and strives to make her, and their relationship, better.

   Actress Choi, who pulled off an impressive performance in black comedy "My Scary Girl" in 2006, again shines at her best in the film, "almost" succeeding at drawing both tears and laughter from audiences.

   Choi's distinctively pure character -- loved by fans for years since her debut -- and stable performance appear to go to waste this time, however, due to the film's slack structure which has too many holes and irrelevant episodes to keep the viewers focused.

   Director Jeong Gi-hun personally interviewed more than 400 pairs of mothers and daughters to complete the scenario of "Aeja," which was awarded by the Busan Film Commission last year.

Although his attempt to add humor and spice to the timeworn love-hate relation between mother and daughter is noticeable, his eagerness to scenarize every little detail in the scenario appears to have ruined a good story.

   Obviously directed towards the female crowd, viewers may still enjoy the film if they are a mom or a daughter, more if they've just recently lost their loved one. If they are none of the listed, it's safer to take another pick.

   The film, with a running time of just less than two hours, will hit the local theaters beginning Sept. 10.

   hayney@yna.co.kr
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