Treeless Mountain

Self-reliant seven-year-old Jin and her little sister, Bin, live with their hard-pressed mother in a cramped apartment in Seoul. But when their mother decides to leave in search of their estranged father, she drops them off to live with their alcoholic Big Aunt for the summer, whose hospitality is reluctant at best. With only a small piggy bank and their mother's promise to return when it is full, the two young girls are forced to fend for themselves. Jin tries to keep Bin out of trouble, not always successfully; they learn that toasted crickets are tasty, and become entrepreneurs. Counting the days, and the coins, the two bright-eyed young girls eagerly anticipate their mother's homecoming. But in the end it is at an unexpected home where Jin comes to learn the warmth and importance of family bonds in this beautiful, meditative and thought-provoking second feature from So Yong Kim, the acclaimed director of In Between Days. (Fully subtitled)

Director:

So Yong Kim

Cast:

Hee Yeon Kim, Song Hee Kim, Soo Ah Lee, Mi Hyang Kim, Boon Tak Park

Reviews:

San Francisco Chronicle, G. Allen Johnson