"The trip is an alibi; the goal is revenge."
As the title suggests, the film follows a mother and her three daughters on a trip to Gyeongju. On the birthday of the youngest daughter, Gyeongju, who has not returned for eight years since leaving on a school field trip, mother Ok-sil (Lee Jung-eun) and her three daughters Jang-ju (Gong Hyo-jin), Yeong-ju (Park So-dam), and Dong-ju (Lee Yeon) put on matching group T-shirts and head to Gyeongju. But in the trunk of their van lies an unfamiliar man. Their true purpose is revenge against Baek Sung-hyun (Byun Yo-han), the man who killed their youngest.
The subject alone suggests a dark revenge drama, but "Journey to Gyeongju" never lets go of laughter from the start. The four women cause a commotion over just a single bug appearing in the car, and even in situations where a murder might occur, the characters' words and actions generate humor and wit. Rather than clashing, the thriller, black comedy, and family drama blend curiously well, delivering a distinctive flavor.
In particular, Ok-sil, played by Lee Jung-eun, is the film's central axis, conveying to the audience the sense of loss, anger, and thirst for revenge over losing her daughter. Ok-sil, for whom time has stopped after losing her daughter and husband, is a character who tries to remember them to the end, even through revenge. In the film's climax, the maternal madness and love, rage and wavering that Lee Jung-eun expresses overwhelm the audience with an unrivaled aura. Given that this is a female lead rarely seen in films, Lee Jung-eun is credited with once again expanding the acting spectrum of actresses. Lee explained, "I approached the role of Ok-sil imagining someone who never forgets and remembers to the end, someone who moves forward step by step while struggling." She added, "Ok-sil went all the way, but I kept asking myself whether I am someone who could go all the way," and confessed, "I kept doubting whether I fully reached Ok-sil, so I struggled a bit emotionally for the two years from filming to release."
In the latter half, the film's temperature shifts dramatically as Baek Sung-hyun appears. Byun Yo-han, who appeared without pay, throws his whole body into intense action and extreme emotion, heightening the tension and delivering the fun and thrill of genre cinema.
The subtle relationship between the mother and her three daughters, which feels realistic, is another point to watch. The way the mother treats her daughters, and the way the daughters treat their mother, all differ. In particular, Jang-ju is the "K-eldest daughter" who understands and follows her mother best. Gong Hyo-jin interpreted Jang-ju as "the daughter who is most afraid of being scolded by her mother, of disappointing her mother, and of her mother's wounds deepening." Her understated performance anchoring the family drew praise for making Ok-sil's emotions in the latter half stand out all the more explosively.
"Journey to Gyeongju" begins as a family trip taken for revenge, but at the end of that journey it ultimately speaks of family love, loss, and the consolation of embracing one another. Past the laughter, thrills, and action, what remains upon leaving the theater is warmth toward family. If a mother and daughter watch it together, they will each look at their family from different vantage points and leave the theater carrying their own lingering emotions. Opens on the 26th.
