Once we have established a routine, we seldom part with it, making our lives and work a pattern which never changes, albeit for a few exceptions. While it is important to define what normal is, there is truth in the old saying that you should always expect the unexpected. Especially in storytelling, a sudden change in a person’s routine presents not only hidden opportunities, but also the chance to talk about what really matters in life and how the goals we have set for ourselves may not always be the ones that are the most interesting or wise for us. In his first feature, director Choi Jae-young follows this concept presenting a character whose life has become this aforementioned pattern when one day he is confronted with a decision he has made in his past and its consequences.
Frankenstein Father is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
Chi-sung (Kang Gil-woo) is a doctor at a local hospital. Even though his professional reputation is flawless, he is unpopular among his colleagues who find him boring and often irritates patients due to his lack of compassion. However, his dream of owning a yacht and sailing to Panama are what really drive him, as he has been saving a large sum of money over the last couple of years. However, this all changes when a young man, Dong-suk (Yang Heung-joo), contacts him at his home, claiming he is his son, the result of an illicit sperm donation Chi-sung did in order to secure money for his studies.
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Although the doctor is skeptical, the young man insists he is his son, threatening to go to the police if he does not give him 100 million won, a compensation for all the faults he was born with and which he assigns to Chi-sung. Irritated and insulted, he demands further proof ranging from races to eating shellfish, as Dong-suk is convinced these faulty character traits are the result of faulty genetic material provided by his father. In the end, Chi-sung is able to show the differences between the two, but also realizes there are a few things the two have in common, and so he decides to at least help him to make his dream of becoming an athlete come true.
The narrative of a life taking an unexpected turn has been done many times before in cinema and in literature, often resulting in stories bordering on the melodrama and kitsch. However, to give Choi Jae-young credits, his direction and script do their best to stay away from these paths, and while not every moments hits home they way it is intended, the majority does, making “Frankenstein Father” a delightful and entertaining watch which even has a few surprises up its sleeve for those thinking they have the feature figured out. In the end, the story works because of the approach to the characters themselves, with Chi-sung being much more than the rather tedious shell he presents to the outside and or Dong-suk being presented as a young man looking for guidance and suffering from opportunities that have been taken from him due to his health and genes, or so he assumes.
As you may have guessed, “Frankenstein Father” works largely because of its cast. Kang Gil-woo as a doctor who does not realize his daily routine has become his cage, succeeds in giving his character an emotional dimension, adding to his development throughout the story as his relationship with Dong-suk strengthens. The same can be said for actor Yang Heung-joo who challenges the viewer’s (and his alleged father’s) impression of the spoiled and self-righteous teenager, emphasizing the growing frustration of a young man trying to find the one responsible for what he is not able to do or achieve. The chemistry between the two results in many memorable and often touching scenes, such as the doctor slowly discovering their passion for sports, something he had forgotten all these years.
“Frankenstein Father” is an entertaining and moving drama about what connects people and how this is perhaps even more than genetics. Choi Jae-young’s direction and approach manage to steer away from the easy route this story and its themes would have offered, making his feature a heartfelt and often cleverly understated drama.
