Writer Yoo Young-ah of the movie ‘Our Season’, “A movie that reminds me of my family or the precious people next to me.”

A Q&A interview with Yoo Young-ah, who wrote the screenplay for the movie 'Our Season' (directed by Yook Sang-hyo), has been released.

'Our Season' is a healing fantasy film about mother Bok-ja (Kim Hae-sook), who is on vacation in heaven, and her daughter Jin-ju (Shin Min-ah), who runs a restaurant using her mother's recipes.

Q. What prompted you to write ‘3 Day Vacation’ and what did you focus on the most?

'3 Days of Vacation' is the story of a mother who goes on vacation for three days to meet her daughter, and although they cannot talk or touch each other, they convey their important feelings. Personally, I think of my mother as very special. Suddenly, I thought, ‘Is there something I couldn’t tell my mom?’, ‘Is there something I’m sad about with my mom?’ While thinking the same thing, I felt like I would be heartbroken if my mother passed away, even though I couldn't convey this feeling. I started writing because I thought that the mother would also be heartbroken seeing her daughter like that. As this is a story centered around feelings and emotions, I wanted to portray the feelings of the mother and daughter well. I think that things like props, food, and gaze are the biggest emotions rather than special events or lines. I tried hard to get into the inner feelings of the characters so that the mother and daughter's sincerity could be conveyed to the audience.


Q. The fantasy setting of a deceased mother going on vacation and meeting her daughter is unique. What made you think of this setting?

My mother once told me that her grandmother sometimes appeared in her dreams. Looking at that, not only my mother, but also, 'What is the regret that I cannot convey to myself when I die?'; Also, when someone I love passes away, I wonder, 'What is the regret or longing that I could not convey to myself?' That thought was the beginning. Friends around me often say that their mother appeared in their dream last night and it was so vivid. At the same time, I remember jokingly saying, ‘Isn’t it really true that they came and went?’, and I started from that story and created a world view.


Q. Please explain what kind of mother-daughter character you were trying to create.

First of all, the character of Bokja, the mother, is a person who is strong but always has a strong heart for her daughter. She is a mother who is not good at expressing even her affection and sees her daughter Jinju harboring resentment because of what she said. Deseda believes that the expression is not her true self, but rather a look created to protect her life and daughter. Although she doesn't look that kind on the outside, she is a mother who cares a lot for her daughter.

Daughter Jinju is a character that is like my reflection. This is a character that reflects my thoughts, such as ‘I should not have done that to my mother back then’ and ‘I should have listened to my mother’s heart more’. Jinju is a sad daughter who has always loved her mother, but has never experienced a close relationship with her mother, so she doesn't know what to do between them. However, when he came to his senses later, he realized that his mother had already passed away, and he felt great regret and longing after that.


Q. There are many movies and dramas that deal with the universal theme of mother-daughter relationships, and your previous work 'Kim Ji-young, Born 1982' also depicted mother-daughter relationships. Was there anything you thought about to differentiate yourself in this work?

The irony begins with how to convey your sincerity in a situation where you cannot say anything. So, like in existing movies about mother-daughter relationships, I thought a lot about how to convey my sincerity in a situation where we cannot quickly or easily clash with each other or comfort each other. I think that the way they resolve deep-seated resentment, longing, and misunderstandings in a situation where they cannot communicate about what happened in the past is what sets it apart from existing mother-daughter stories.

Mothers have one thing in common: they make all of their life choices for their children. The mother of ‘Kim Ji-young, Born 1982’ is like this, as is the mother of Bok-ja in ‘Our Season’. When I wrote 'Kim Ji-young, Born 1982', I wanted to depict a mother who has suffered and given up many things to live a life now becoming a little more combative for her daughter. 'Our Season' depicts a lonely and pathetic mother who cannot easily approach her daughter when she is alive. I wanted to portray the daughter's troubles in her relationship with her mother and the mother's frustration at not being able to approach her daughter.


Q. The scene where daughter Jinju realizes her mother Bokja’s feelings through food is impressive. Please tell us what prompted you to think of the idea of communicating through food.

The reason we become immersed in and find fun in movies that feature music that we can listen to while reminiscing is because the music quickly takes us back to the memories we want to remember. I think food can recall memories as quickly as a song and take us there. We all have something in common: we all grew up eating the food our mothers cooked, but the taste varies from house to house. I also made the same food that my mom made, and as I kept making it over and over again to try to get closer to her taste, I ended up with a similar taste to my mom's cooking. And every time I encounter food like that, I remember my mom, who was always busy but would cook me food before going out. I think food is the fastest way to connect emotionally with people.


Q. I heard that it took quite a long time to decide on the food items. Is there anything you were particularly concerned about?

I talked a lot with the director while deciding on the food items and made a lot of final changes. Since my hometown is Gyeongsang-do, I thought a lot about the local foods, but I had difficulty finding the secret to the hidden taste. After thinking a lot about what kind of taste my daughter Jinju would like to discover from her mother Bokja, she finally chose dumplings. I was most concerned about food, which serves as a link between daughter Jinju and mother Bokja.


Q. Is there a scene you don’t want the audience to miss?

I think it's probably the climax of the play. In that part, I hope you will see how the mother and daughter convey their most important feelings to each other, and what kind of memory that will remain for the daughter.


Q. Lastly, please say a word to the audience waiting for ‘Our Season’.

If you look at the relationship between mother and daughter in 'Our Season', you will definitely feel that it is a story we can all relate to. I think this is a movie that makes you think about family or the precious people next to you. After watching the movie, you will feel the importance of family time together and call your mom and dad.

The movie 'Our Season' will be released on December 6th.

Reporter Ha-neul Lee, Ten Asia greenworld@tenasia.co.kr