"A Normal Family" A star-studded cast gathers around the dinner table to tell the tale of the curse and collapse of modern families

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2025.01.21Atsunobu Ushizu

What family and blood ties bring

What is amazing to see at the end is how every detail is carefully crafted, like a geometric pattern, while the plot is resolved without wasting a single detail. And the main characters, who were able to maintain a very calm and collected value judgment and life philosophy when it comes to third parties, suddenly lose their balance and become agitated when it comes to family and blood ties, which is really interesting to watch as a human observation.

Looking back, I can see that the rampage at the beginning was an essential part of the story as the initial premise. The film starts by objectively looking at the incident caused by a complete stranger, and then gradually gives rise to gradations in value judgments, such as what would happen if the incident were a family member, or whether the things that should be protected and the principles that should be upheld change depending on whether or not they are related by blood. The structure is thrilling, and I can't help but be interested in what conclusions will be drawn.

Additionally, the protagonists, brothers Sol Kyung-gu and Jang Dong-gun, are parents responsible for their children's growth, but at the same time, they are the children of an elderly mother who suffers from dementia and requires care; this dual structure surrounding parent-child relationships also adds depth to the work.

On the other hand, it is important to note that Yeong-kyung (Jae-gyu's wife), who spends the most time caring for the family, is not related by blood to the mother-in-law, which also overlaps with the fact that Ji-soo (Jae-wan's second wife) has no blood ties to her teenage daughter. An objective perspective different from blood ties emerges, and the different perspective from that of the husbands gives the story a twist.

And in the end, it all once again boils down to the lifestyle and life philosophy of the main characters, the brothers; it is as if this conclusion was predestined from the beginning, and the resulting film is so well-crafted that you can't help but exclaim, "Brilliant!", but it is also permeated with a sense of ironic heaviness.

It's not flashy, but the serious story about the small society of a family shines eerily black, like a sharp blade, like a modern myth. I felt like I got a glimpse of Heo Jin-ho's true worth as a storyteller.

Text: USHIZU ATSUNOBU

Born in Nagasaki in 1977. When he was 3 years old, he saw ``Superman II'' with his father and became fascinated with movies. After The Graduate from Meiji University, he worked for a movie broadcasting channel and then became a movie writer. Currently, in addition to writing for Eiga.com, EYESCREAM, Real Sound Movie Club, etc., he also contributes to media press and theater programs.

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"A Normal Family"

Now showing nationwide

Distribution: Nikkatsu/KDDI

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