Ode to My Father

"One promise can shape a lifetime."

2014 2h 6m KO

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 145

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Duk-soo lost his father and younger sister while taking refuge during the Korean War. He leaves for Germany to work as a miner and enters the Vietnam War. He wishes to find his sister.

“One promise can shape a lifetime.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Hwang Jung-min
Yoon Deok-soo
Yunjin Kim
Young-ja
Oh Dal-su
Dal-goo
Jung Jin-young
Yoon Jin-gyu
Jang Young-nam
Deok-soo's Mother
Ra Mi-ran
Deok-soo's Paternal Aunt
Uhm Ji-sung
Young Deok-soo
Kim Seul-gi
Yoon Kkeut-soon

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: JK Youn
Writers: Park Soo-jin
Languages: English, Korean, German, Vietnamese
Countries: South Korea

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 12 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Korean, German, Vietnamese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Ode to My Father Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by JK Youn, shot by Choi Young-hwan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lee Byung-woo. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lee Jin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Hwang Jung-min and Yunjin Kim and Oh Dal-su carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "One promise can shape a lifetime.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

JK Youn directs. Choi Young-hwan behind the camera. Lee Byung-woo scores. Lee Jin cuts. Produced in South Korea. Dialogue in English, Korean, German, Vietnamese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 12 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 4 languages: English, Korean, German, Vietnamese.
3Part of the "Ode to My Father Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by JK Youn, shot by Choi Young-hwan. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Lee Byung-woo. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Lee Jin shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Hwang Jung-min and Yunjin Kim and Oh Dal-su carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "One promise can shape a lifetime.".
9IMDB entry: tt3812366 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Choi Young-hwan
Original score: Lee Byung-woo
Editing: Lee Jin
Production design: Ryu Seong-hie
Costume design: Kwon Yoo-jin
Makeup / hair: Lee Hee-eun
Runtime: 126 min · 2h 6m
Status: Released
Box office: $105,365,782
Original language: KO
Certification (US): 12
IMDB: Ode to My Father (2014)

Part of

Ode to My Father Collection

Ode to My Father
2014 · this one

Also by

JK Youn

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

badelf2022-01-25
★ 9/10
Things happen in life, sometimes only a comment made to us, that shape and color our whole life. In my own life, I remember seminal moments, people, that made a difference in the way I lived and the decisions I made. Ode to My Father is an epic story of how one man's life was colored by just such a significant event. Duk-soo, running with his family at the beginning of the Korean War, loses his sister. His father returns to find her, instructing little Duk-soo that he is responsible for caring for the family. This is merely a traditional Korean custom - no one expects a 6-year old to support a family. And yet, that responsibilty shaped his entire life. This film, although not a real story is based deeply in truth. It is the stories of thousands of Koreans.

Production companies