Ki-bong is a man who suffered brain damage as a child and who has the emotional maturity of an 8-year. The village people call him 'Barefoot Ki-Bong' because he runs barefoot with food he has begged and serves his mother before it gets cold. Running is Ki-Bong' greatest skill. It is his mother that Ki-bong loves the most. Ki-bong decides to take part in the National Amateur Half Marathon' in order to buy artificial teeth for his mother with the prize money, and works hard looking forward to the day of the race. Mr. BAEK, the head of the village, volunteers to be Ki-bong's trainer. The village people realize what family and love between family members mean to them when they see Ki-bong, who is considered a non-entity, working hard for the competition. The village gets changed by the efforts of Ki-bong and Mr. BAEK.
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Reviews
I can't believe this film hasn't been commented on yet...it's a remarkable movie. It's based on the true story of a 40-year old, mentally-challenged man who lives with his mother in a rural Korean village. Afflicted with a "fever" as a child, he suffered a loss of some mental faculties, but is still able to interact socially. He also possesses some quite amazing physical abilities.The man's life revolves around his mother, to whom he is totally devoted...and vice versa. He has run for enjoyment since a child, and is quite proficient at it. He trains for and enters a half-marathon, solely to use the winnings to help his mother. He doesn't win...but it doesn't matter. NOTE: Not winning the race is the "spoiler"...the reasons why it doesn't matter are why you'll love this film.As an added bonus, you'll get to see a good deal of the "real" Korea. The film is quite good at showing a lot of everyday "small" things...the typical houses and how the people go about their daily lives, how they dress, what their shops look like, etc. I've spent some time there in the past, and it was great to see so many familiar scenes.The one drawback is about 3 lines of vulgar language in the middle of the film. The movie could have done without this.I highly recommend this film...if you're a fan of foreign movies or heart-warming stories, then it's for you.
We've seen bits and pieces in a number of other movies, but just the same, this movie's well done with a light touch and a lot of humor. Excellent performances by main characters and supporting cast. There are no real bad guys here. Themes: disability is an arbitrary category -- who's really disabled here? Running as a metaphor for goals and journeys, exploitation of the "weak", family love/loyalty, and dignity that should be accorded to all.The writers are clever in that the story takes place in a village setting not the big city. Story probably wouldn't work in an urban setting. If anyone saw the Iranian film, "Children of Heaven" -- another film about family love/loyalty with a running/race theme a while back, they'll like this film as well.
