Director: Kim Min-jo
Starring: Lee Jung-eun, Gong Hyo-jin, Park So-dam, Lee Yeon, Byun Yo-han
Country of Origin: South Korea
Running time: 1h 51m
On the surface it’s a cheerful family outing to one of South Korea’s most historic tourist destinations.
Behind the staged photos and forced smiles emerges a calculated plot to avenge a tragedy on a painful anniversary.
When Gyeong-ju (Hwang Hyun-jung) is horrifically murdered on a school field trip in the ancient Silla capital of Gyeongju it rips apart an otherwise contended household.
To compound the heartbreak further perpetrator Baek Sang-hyun (Byun Yo-han) is given a lenient sentence on the grounds of psychological and antisocial impairments and Gyeong-ju’s father (Kim Hak-sun) commits suicide.
Eight years after her daughter’s death mother Ok-sil (Lee Jung-eun) devises an undercover plan to exact retribution on the man that tore her family apart.
Along with daughters Jang-ju (Gong Hye-jin), Young-ju (Park So-dam) and Dong-ju (Lee Yeon) she embarks on a hazardous trip from the South Korean metropolis of Seoul to the city where her daughter met an untimely demise.
Rather than keep us guessing, director Kim Min-jo lays most of the cards on the table early into the game.
Assisted by family friend Pil-rye (Nam Gwon-a) the mum and three daughters abduct the killer and shove him in the back of a beaten-up old van.
An early mishap in which the binbag bound, drugged up murderer temporarily escapes from the boot of the old banger establishes a faintly comic tone that’s soon replaced by the deadly intentions of the family quartet.
After the early reveal there’s quite a deliberate lull as old grievances between the family become abundantly clear.
The direction and pitfalls on the road to the endgame seem well mapped out as detectives gradually join the trail to find the kidnapped killer.
Indeed, the circuitous route for revenge drags on in a film that somewhat loses its way only to be saved by the constant bickering between the sisters and matriarch.
Internal squabbles mar the attempt to subdue the killer – as the bumbling foursome wonder if they can actually follow through with their grand scheme – but provide the most meaningful and entertaining parts of The Journey to Gyeongju.
From opposing sides on Parasite (2019) Lee Jung-eun and Park So-dam are ostensibly on the same team as a mother paralyzed by trauma and a daughter only persuaded to participate by the incentive of a financial reward, even if it doesn’t always seem that way.
As the head of the clan Lee Jung-eun, who portrays the anguish stricken Ok-sik with absolute conviction, is branded the president, while oldest daughter Jang-ju, played with stoic sensibility by Gong Hyo-jin, is labelled the general of the whole operation by Park So-dam’s Young-ju.
The deepest animosity is between the youngest of the two siblings though.
Nobody comes out on top as Young-ju, a wannabe lawyer who couldn’t pass the bar exam and now dabbles in cryptocurrency, and Dong-ju, a former professional wrestler who went by the rather brilliant name of Purple Magma, relentlessly quarrel.
Both harbour deep resentment towards their mother after years of perceived neglect wrapped up in a cloud of disbelief and sorrow.
The centuries old city of Gyeongju is an appropriate place to dredge up historic grudges.
I particularly enjoyed the scenes in which the family, all in matching shirts, attempt to cover their tracks with forced poses at some of the city’s most recognizable attractions.
Given the film’s title I expected to see far more of the ancient Silla capital.
Yet it’s more of a scenic backdrop than any kind of tourist advertisement, as large swathes of action take place in the dead of night with nothing visible other than the dark shadows of the past and present.
There are no weak links in a superbly assembled cast, but as former queen of the squared circle Lee Yeon is the unlikely family saviour.
In a mightily impressive performance, she steals scenes as the spontaneous youngster of the group, an impulsive, outspoken outlier that feels the wrath of her two older sisters and frightens the life out of her overprotective mother.
Her knowledge of body slams and choke holds is a definite advantage as the situation becomes perilous, as does her ex-status as an in-ring star when she coincidentally bumps into one of her fans.
Park So-dam’s polished display as a reluctant middle daughter drawn into providing logistical and legal expertise plays off well against the candid, brute force of Lee Yeon’s impetuous character.
While Byun Yo-han is a deeply unpleasant bad guy perhaps it would have been wise not to lift the veil on his identity quite so soon.
Nevertheless, his vile presence gives an insight into why the head of the family cannot forgive nor forget.
It would be remiss not to mention the wonderful Nam Gwon-a who breezes along in a yogurt lady cart to locate the killer and helps the family with the air of a mob wife unbothered by the consequences of her actions.
Although it may be a miniscule point, the Americanized subtitles may cause some confusion. The use of the word ‘jalopy’ to describe the bright yellow van seems a bizarre choice. While I saw the film in an empty cinema at Regency Theaters in Buena Park, California, there should be an understanding that a wider audience, unfamiliar with the peculiarities of American English, might also be watching.
Regardless, it didn’t take away anything from a movie that cannot be easily placed.
The Journey to Gyeongju is not really a road trip as most of the action takes place off the beaten track, there are only sparse moments of comedy and a dearth of truly frightening moments that hardly classify as horror.
None of this really matters in a film that is not so much about the road to a fateful location, but the interfamily relationships shaped by devastating loss and injustice.
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