Wisconsin Film Festival- Treeless Mountain

This is a South Korean feature film that was kind of what I had in mind as something that I would want to direct…until I saw it.  It was a very sweet story of two very young sisters are taken to their aunt’s to live as their mother searches for their father.  What exactly the father did was never explained, as well as a plethora of other bits of information that would have helped in enjoying the film.  The aunt is extremely selfish and not fit to raise children but is probably the most interesting character in the movie.  The film did everything right when it comes to capturing the quiet moments, and having ambiguity, and being introspective and meaningful, and having an ending that isn’t too “Hollywood”; but frankly this movie could’ve used a little more Hollywood in it.  It’s a bit too quiet of a tale and it seems that if you’re going to make a movie it should be about something bigger.  I appreciate that the movie didn’t hit any false notes but it also didn’t really reach that high.  Three out of five.