Ode to my father describes what a lot of individuals who are titled first child or head of the house goes through, and I being the first child had no better title than to define this review.

The story takes place in the middle of the Korean War in the city of Hungnam, North Korea where the US Marines evacuated more than 86,000 individuals, our main lead and his family being one of them. The entire film then follows the promise he made to his father before he went missing to take care of his mother and siblings. Deok Soo (Hwang Jung Min) then lives his life making sure to make his father's promise a reality which costs him everything including his dreams, his passions, and even his will.

As we see him get older there seems to be a withdrawal emotionally and a lack of understanding that his family offers him, in scenes where it has aged having grandchildren and we see their lack of showed love towards him. It reminds me of the loneliness that comes with a huge sacrifice, not only did he not give himself, he was left misunderstood, and not even his children were patient enough to understand where that 'anger' came from. In the final scene of the movie, we see Deok Soo finally decide to sell his store, and when he goes into his room he begins to cry reminiscing the difficulties that came with keeping that promise, how to hurt he had become when he realized he would never see his father again.

One thing that made me cry and sob in this film apart from Hwang Jung Min's performance was the countless stories that were expressed throughout, Although not as heavily themed in the time of war but for families who lack opportunities, immigrant children who have so much responsibility to care for their younger siblings and parents. Deok Soo lived his entire life to service others constantly pushing the limit he would go for family. the only thing he ever did for himself was to fall in love and get married, which is awesome but it was at the expense of almost dying that he even meet the love of his life.

As a child of immigrants, the guilt Deok Soo felt when he lost his sister is the same when you see your parents put their interests, their homes, and sometimes their marriages so they can protect you and give you a better life. Although I might want to pursue other things in life, there are a lot more responsibilities like Deok Soo had, that have to come before my peace of mind.

I loved his story so much, I loved the execution from the cast and those who worked behind the scenes. it's a movie that will be timeless not only showing history in true light but relating to individuals who often go through situations like this. I hope this review urges you more to view this film and appreciate the brilliance behind it.