The Highway Family (2022)

Thought-provoking KMovie, sailing close to the wind when it comes to duty of care and child welfare

The KMovie "Highway Family" is set at the bottom of the social pyramid in South Korea in the year 2022. It portrays a homeless family who seems to have found their own lifestyle at the country's highway rest stops. A happy family sleeping in a tent, living on scrounged money and having lots of fun together.

That's one side of the medal. As audience, however, one cannot help but see the other side of the coin despite all the family idyll. The heavily pregnant wife has no medical support during what is now her third pregnancy. Her two children, being five and nine years old by now, miss out on any schooling. The parents claim that they do the teaching themselves, but reading, writing and maths are obviously not on their curriculum. A playground on the highway rest stops, which are heavily frequented by cars and heavy trucks, is dangerous, and the parents' duty of supervision is by no means guaranteed. The father is (as so often) the head of the family and objectively speaking, his decisions about the self-chosen outlaw family life sometimes border on violating his duty of care. Supposed (motorway rest stop) idyll and freedom may correspond to the father and his outlook on life. Wife and children, on the other hand, are now stuck in this boat. They love each other as a family and especially the children know no different. They rely on their father.

The KMovie sails close to the wind when it comes to moral issues concerning work, economy and society as well as duty of care and child welfare. Camps may form in the audience. And that is intentional.

The second protagonist, alongside the Highway family, is a married couple who lost their own child and who run a second-hand furniture store. Solid. Prosocial. Responsible. However, emotionally deeply wounded and unhappy.

Worlds clash. Two families meet. One is shattered deep inside, the other formally. Together they build something new - an alternative family patchwork, grounded in a rather simple normal life, which obviously doesn't have to be the worst, at least when kids are involved. Yet, can it be as simple as that? And at the disturbing end there is the question about the end of the story... which remains in the eyes of the beholder...

A thought-provoking KMovie.

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A well-written, well-acted and well-executed movie.

Tackling the social issue of homelessness and drifters, this movie carries out the concept efficiently and brilliantly without pointing fingers at the welfare system or society for the issue that arises. It also deals with a broader theme of humanity, inequality, and morality, subtly touching on issues such as child safety, pregnancy care, health, and mental issues. This is one of the movies where social issues are shown and handled without bias.

The movie doesn’t solely focus on homelessness; it shows the process of two families with different wounds meeting and becoming one, somehow finding happiness in their intertwined fates. The storylines and conflict are well developed, although there are some indistinct plots. But it doesn’t affect the story as a whole. The well-paced story development gives the movie a good balance. I love how this movie does not simply use a homeless family as a dramatic setup but instead tells a story of growth and improvement around it.

In terms of acting, each actor carried their respective characters successfully. Jung Il-woo nailed the character. Ra Miran gives another awesome performance. But foremost, hats off to Kim Seulgi for her wonderfully unconventional performance. Although the character doesn't seem so heavy physically, Jisook is a character with a lot of inner struggle and emotional responsibility.

All in all, Highway Family is not only a well-executed movie; it’s also a movie weighted with reality struggles and driven by outstanding performances from all the cast.

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