THE JOURNEY TO GYEONG-JU (2026)
Film Review
On Fantasia’s 30th anniversary, I had the pleasure of watching The Journey to Gyeong-ju, directed by Kim Mi-Jo. The movie is about a mother grieving over the loss of one of her daughters who goes on a journey to Gyeongju with her remaining daughters to take revenge. Despite this film’s dark story, I want to compliment its entertaining parts which provide comic relief. An example is the part where the man in the bag had woken up and tried to escape the family’s car while they were riding on the road. The family was able to return the man into the car, especially after one of the family members used a wrap-up tackle to get the man forcefully inside from the trunk. With the convincing performance from the actors, parts of the film, such as this one, can have viewers both on the edge of their seat with laughter. The wrap-up tackle made this part something in between a chase and a football game. In the end, the family’s scheme had narrowly avoided being seen by a man who was riding on the opposite side of the road (also, because he was driving a slow tractor). In movies, even if we wish to depict dark stories, this film can prove that it’s not wrong to still include a small amount of comedy to balance, at least a little bit, the dominant feeling that the movie can give viewers.
Review by Dean Attari
