I was supposed to visit Korea to see my family and friends back in March. Unfortunately, that visit is still on hold, due to Covid-19. When the pandemic first broke out, I was severely 향수병 (hyang-soo-byung: homesick), which led me to binge watching all the Korean movies I could find on Netflix. 

One thing I realized after binge watching several Korean movies in a row was that there were a quite a few movies talking about 장애인 (jang-ae-in: the disabled). This finding was personal to me because I help people with disabilities to find new ways to fully live their lives. I am not sure if I happened to watch movies that utilize 장애인 as a main subject on that day or not, but I was happy to see that mainstream Korean movies tackled subject matters that exist throughout society. 

 

장애인 인권문제 (in-kwon-moon-jae: human rights) has been ongoing issue in Korea as far back as I remember, and I believe to focus attention on 편견 (pyeon-gyun: a stereotype) about 장애인 is one of first steps to resolve the issue. 

 

Today, I am going to introduce a couple of Korean movies that would warm your heart. These movies are stories which I found uplifting and very positive. 

 

1. 형 (My Annoying Brother)

 

The main character, Doo-Young Koh, loses his sight from a Judo competition injury. His older brother gets released 가석방 (gah-suk-bang: on a parole) in order to 간호 (gah-hoh: looking after, caring for) his disabled brother. These two brothers are opposites in every aspect and have to learn how to live together. I liked this movie because it depicts how the main character adjusts to his disability and succeeds to make a new life through rehabilitation. It was one of those movies that made me laugh and cry simultaneously. 

 

 

     2. 나의 특별한 형제 (Inseparable Bros)

 

Se-hah is 하반신 마비(hah-ban-sin-mah-bi: paraplegic) and Dong-goo is 정신지체자 (jung-shin-ji-che-jah: mentally challenged). These two become close because they can help each other as one. This movie is a little different from other movies because the main characters have 선천적 장애 (sun-chun-jeok-jang-ae: a birth defect). I thought this movie delivers inspiring messages to us that disability can be overcome with the proper approach in a comprehensive environment for the disabled.

 

      3. 퍼펙트맨 (Man of Men)

 

Young-gi is a 깡패 (ggang-pae: a gangster) who gets into a trouble after he embezzles his boss’s money. Jang-soo is an owner of big law firm, who is 시한부 (si-han-boo: terminally ill). Young-gi works for Jang-soo as his personal attendant and now Jang-soo makes a deal with Young-gi in order to change his fortune.

 

Have you seen any of these films? What did you think of them?