another tear-jerker movie

this is my first ever attempt to write fully in english, hehehe... please bear with me ok.. it's been a while (read: years!!!) since i practised using my english, which is deteriorating rapidly, huahuahua... forgive me if my posting this time is monotonous (read: boring...) ya!


i watched a korean movie entitled 'My Father' (Ma-i pa-deo) last friday night. it was a movie based on true story. the movie is about a little korean boy by the name of james parker (played by the oh-so-cute daniel henney) who is adopted by an american couple. as james grows older, he longs to find his biological parents. so, he joins the US military to be stationed in korea to enable him to find his biological parents more easily. while in korea, he gets to befriend a korean soldier who helps him learn the korean language. with the help of his korean friend, he learns his korean name and publicizes his efforts in searching for his birth parents on korean television. all this while, his adoptive parents in the US has always been so supportive.

later, he finds out that his father is a prisoner awaiting death row for murder. they finally meet each other, but their first meeting was awkward, especially when surrounded by reporters & photographers telling them what to do and how to do it. although there is a language barrier between them, they manage to communicate with each other. after the first awkward meeting, they warm up to each other & james looks forward to see his father again.

then james finds out that his biological mother passed away soon after giving birth to him. but he is confused why his father always avoid talking about his deceased mother. he is even more baffled when his father can't provide him with the picture of his mother when he really needs know her. after a few meetings, james is desperate to know if his father is his real father. so using strands of his father's white hairs, he goes for DNA testing. deep in his heart, he knows that the man on death row is his father, but when the DNA test proves otherwise, it breaks his heart (& mine too, huhuhu...). this almost destroys their relationship. but despite the DNA test results, he continues to see his father in prison, & their relationship grows even closer.

i think the fact that james & his father has the same baby picture of him, & his faith in the man on death row as his father, take away all his doubt & suspicions about the man. to him, they will always be father & son, & their special bond can't be & won't be broken forever.

there are tear-jerking scenes in the movie, such as when father & son are finally reconciliated (is there such a word?), james' frustration towards his father when the DNA results is finally released, & the part where the hand is over the heart (the gesture means that even when someone we love dies, he/she will always be in our heart).

i would recommend anyone who values strong family bonds, or anyone who loves watching sad movies (like me la...), or anyone who just adores daniel henney's good looks & good acting (like me jugak, hehe) to watch this movie. well, i'm such a sucker for this kind of movies.

and oh, before i forget, My Father is based on the story of a korean adoptee, Aaron Bates.

Daniel Henney & the real 'James Parker', Aaron Bates