Ode To My Father: Movie Summary

If you are a fan of a heavy drama film, then this one is recommended for you.

This is about during 1950 in the Korean War (Hungnam Evacuation) where thousands of refugees from (what would become North Korea) are needed to be transported South with the help of the U.S. This is the birth of the North Korean regime.

The refugees needed to ride through US Navy boats as it is the only transportation vehicle available and accessible at that time.

Here's the trailer:

Deok-soo, while climbing up to the boat through a rope, loses his sister, Mak-soon on his back. Deok-soo's father had to go down and search for his missing daughter along with the crowd. He tells Deok-soo to take his mom and younger siblings to the port city of Busan when they arrive where his aunt owns an imported goods store. Before leaving him, he made Deok-soo promise to stand as the head of the family if he never returns.

Sadly, his father did not return. 10 years after (the 1960s), Deok-soo becomes the breadwinner of the family at an early age. Due to financial problems, he has acquired a job as a coal miner together with his best friend, Dal-goo in Germany to sustain his brother's tuition at the Seoul National University.

During his stay in Germany, he meets a fellow migrant worker, nurse Young-ja and eventually falls in love with her. Things started to rise when a mining accident happened. Gladly, Deok-soo and Dal-goo survived. They soon returned to Korea as their visas expire.

Young-ja returns to Korea also months later and informs Deok-soo that she is pregnant with his child. So they get married through a modest wedding, lived a happy life together, and eventually had two sons.

Years later, Deok-soo's aunt dies and so his uncle decided to sell the imported goods store because of his need for money. However, Deok-soo disagrees and bought the store later. In the 1970s, Deok-soo needs to leave Korea again to earn money for his sister's wish for a grand wedding. Then again, accidents happened when Deok-soo got shot on his leg by a bullet while helping villagers escape from the War. Viet Cong.

In 1983, this is the most awaited moment Deok-soo looked forward to throughout their lives. Young-ja is manning the store while she saw a tv program in South Korea broadcast station in which they help the relatives who got separated during the Korean War to be reunited.

Deok-soo set his hopes high and reached out to the program to help him find his father and younger sister. He was contacted by the program soon when an elderly man claims to be his father. However, they realized that they are not related to each other on TV. The whole family was saddened after watching the tv.

Deok-soo received a call again from the program when a Korean-American woman citizen claims to be his long-lost sister. The woman tells that she was adopted by a U.S citizen during the Korean war.

The two converses through a phone and have it documented live. Deok-soo asks her about the marks and moles that she has and it matched as to how Mak-soon had when they're younger. As the conversation goes, Deok-soo shows the torn old tiny part (shoulder sleeve) dress of Mak-soon when he lost her during the Korean war and the woman shows the torn old tiny dress as well.

This is the most emotional scene in the film. I cried so hard witnessing the two siblings meet again virtually. After so long, it took 30 years for them to be reunited again.

After meeting personally, Deok-soo's mother passes away days later. It was a sigh of relief for Deok-soo's mother to meet her daughter once again, at least although she's still longing to meet her husband until her last breath.

In the present day, an elderly Deok-soo finally agrees to sell his aunt's store, although he still doesn't want to. It took 20 years or more for him to be convinced of selling it.

Now, it is finally revealed that his father had promised him to reunite with the family once he gets back at the store. That is the main reason why Deok-soo held on to the store for the longest time amidst the bankruptcy.

Deok-soo talks to his wife saying that he has accepted the reality that his father is probably too old to return and be alive to reunite with him.