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(Movie Review) 'Highway Family' explores true meaning of family in unusual setting

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- "Highway Family" tells a story of a homeless family taking shelter in highway rest areas, but the movie neither looks down on their poverty nor tries to deliver a message about what is right or wrong.

Instead, director Lee Sang-moon's feature debut film essentially leaves the audience with this question: What is a family?

The movie follows Ki-woo (Jung Il-woo)'s family camping out in highway rest areas with a small amount of money he borrows from passersby to feed his pregnant wife Ji-sook (Kim Seul-ki) and two children. Ki-woo asks for their account numbers so he can pay them back, but he never keeps his promises.

A scene from the movie "Highway Family" is seen in this image provided by distributor CGV. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

At first sight, there is something too happy about the family living under the motto of "life as a journey."

But it is not an ideal place for the girl and the boy, each aged 9 and 5, who are often hungry and exposed to danger when they play hide-and-seek in a parking lot full of cars, including heavy-duty trucks.

Young-sun (Ra Mi-ran) sympathizes with them and lends 70,000 won (US$50) to Ki-woo but later discovers that he repeatedly takes money from people using the same tactic. The middle-aged woman reports Ki-woo to police and he is arrested on charges of fraud.

Unable to leave the pregnant mom and her kids in a police station and still grieving the death of her son, Young-sun takes them to her second-hand furniture store.

The makeshift family seems to get along in a safe place, but Ki-woo wants his family back and escapes from the police detention center. Being chased by police, the penniless man haunted by traumatic memories transforms into a violent lunatic.

What makes the heart-wrenching drama work is the contrast between Ki-woo's obsession with his family and Young-sun's emotional detachment from her husband after the loss of their son.

The homeless family's insecure life is portrayed in shaky hand-held shots, while Young-sun and her husband are mostly locked in shots taken from fixed points.

The poster of the movie "Highway Family" is seen in this image provided by distributor CGV. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The movie deals with a broader theme of humanity, inequality and morality through the socially and economically isolated family, but it doesn't highlight the loopholes of the welfare system.

The homeless family is united by marriage and blood, but it seems apparent that the mom and children can live a normal life when their reckless father is not around. Though Ji-sook loves her children, it is Young-sun who better takes care of them and even teaches the girl, who can't write her name at the age of 9.

Audience members can relate to each character in different ways, but they might be baffled by a confusing ending that is not clear whether it's reality or fantasy.

"Highway Family" will hit local theaters on Nov. 2.

[email protected] (END)

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'Highway Family' explores true meaning of family in unusual setting

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The highway family.

2022 ‘고속도로 가족’ Directed by Lee Sang-moon

Lead me home.

Depicts the process of meeting a family who lives a homeless life like camping along a highway rest area, and a couple who accidentally hold hands and the process of the birth of a new family. The story of a family wandering the streets with the hope that they will meet the warmth and affection, compassion, trust, and hope between people who still exist in the cold reality, is revived with the courage and help of someone.

Ra Mi-ran Jung Il-woo Kim Seul-ki Baek Hyun-jin Seo Yi-soo Park Da-on Choi Hyung-joo Lee Tae-kyung Son Yong-beom Son Ye-won Park Eun-young Jang Jun-hak An Min-yeong Yoon Jong-goo Heo Joon-seok Kim Joon-hee Ryu Kyeong-hwan Jeong Soo-kyo Ok Su-boon Hwang Jeong-min Lee Yong-nyeo Woo Ji-hyeon

Director Director

Lee Sang-moon

Writer Writer

Editor editor.

Won Chang-jae

Cinematography Cinematography

Kim Hyun-ok

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Ahn Soo-yeon Lee Jung-eun

Lighting Lighting

Production design production design, visual effects visual effects.

Im Myeong-ju

Stunts Stunts

Moon Gwang-sik

Composer Composer

Lee Min-whee

Sound Sound

Kim Do-heon Hong Seong-jun

Costume Design Costume Design

Lee Jin-suk

Makeup Makeup

Choi Na-young

AMG Entertainment

South Korea

Alternative titles.

خانواده بزرگراه, 고속도로 가족, Highway Family, عائلة على الطريق السريع, 高速公路家族, 人生轉運站, 高速道路家族

Releases by Date

07 oct 2022, 02 nov 2022, 21 apr 2023, releases by country.

Premiere Busan International Film Festival
Theatrical 15

129 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Moresbi ★★★½

"The Highway Family" was a somewhat tough watch, though in a positive way, IMO.

The plot is complicated. The movie is quite relatable, touching very current and relevant issues, while also maybe troubled, sensitive and even harsh. I thought that length and pace might be an issue.

Acting was definitely a plus. I would say that pretty much most (if not all) relevant cast members were pretty great/solid and I think the characters themselves were pretty well written. Ra Mi-ran, Jung Il-woo, Kim Seul-ki and Seo Yi-soo would be my standouts.

I think the movie was extremely dramatic (even tragic), compelling and even a bit ruthless, at times. Not so sure there's many people who would go as far as…

Review by ZehSushi ★★★

This film had a lot of familiar faces to me like Jung Il-woo who I've only seen in lighthearted romance dramas. I give it the rating I did because it made me feel a lot of raw emotions as per the actors phenomenal acting. Yes, it was slow at times, but I feel like this film tackles topics many of us feel uncomfortable addressing like poverty, homelessness, and more, which I appreciate.

Review by dalkomhan films ★★★½

Predictable storyline but still very touching

Review by xpeoplex ★★½

The story is plain, so it is not very Korea.

Review by king ★★★★

"I had kids to feed. I had no choice."

Who has the power to define crime?

Review by penel ★★★★

One of the most engagingly jagged, utterly sad and frustratingly uncomfortable titles I've watched this year. Tackling some serious social themes such as poverty, social inequality, mental health, parents grief, morality and empathy, it centers around the meaning of family and bonding. Though there were some issues with the tone and pacing throughout the story progression and the ending could have been much better, the riveting performances from Ra Mi Ran, Kim Seul Gi and, especially, Jung Il Woo with his very challenging character, resulted in an interesting, thought-provoking debut film from a promising screenwriter & director, Lee Sang Moon.

Review by Weitse Hung ★★★½

整部片圍繞著瘋魔的父親也是個悲劇開場在遭遇挫折後的選擇導致家庭也默默走向不順慶幸的是上天公平的安排來了一個同樣的遭遇創傷但卻願意分享故事存在的壓抑也許負負總將得正衰極必盛不失為一種詮釋

Review by Ad H ★★½

A serious drama about homeless and and family ,how we sometimes sacrifice for the family on our happiness.

Watch it its pure drama.

Review by Chuu ★★★½

Ga bisa nyalahin siapa² sih. Takdir aja udah.

Kalau adekku dulu, saat menghamili anak orang, kebetulan mssih punya orang tua dan keluarga yang mau menerima adikku dan tetap berusaha mengarahkan mereka ke arah yang benar. Makanya ga sampai terluntang-luntung, di tipu karena yahh, terlalu muda dan tak punya pengalaman di dunia luar. Kasihan.

Review by aal “the not-so called cinephile” ★★½

sejujurnya aktingnya bagus, apalagi ra miran tidak usah diragukan. cuman kenapa kayak emotionless banget yah. mau terharu engga, sedih engga, seneng engga, rasa kasian lumayan sih, tapi tetep aja kayak ga kerasa apa-apa. not to mention the not-so real plot 😀 nothing is impossible ya pak director 😄

Review by eylem

DAMN ⁉️⁉️⁉️

Review by 震 ★★

ไม่สุดสักทาง งงๆ

Select your preferred poster

(Movie Review) 'Highway Family' explores true meaning of family in unusual setting

(Movie Review) Highway Family (Movie Review) 'Highway Family' explores true meaning of family in unusual setting By Kim Eun-jung SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- "Highway Family" tells a story of a homeless family taking shelter in highway rest areas, but the movie neither looks down on their poverty nor tries to deliver a message about what is right or wrong. Instead, director Lee Sang-moon's feature debut film essentially leaves the audience with this question: What is a family? The movie follows Ki-woo (Jung Il-woo)'s family camping out in highway rest areas with a small amount of money he borrows from passersby to feed his pregnant wife Ji-sook (Kim Seul-ki) and two children. Ki-woo asks for their account numbers so he can pay them back, but he never keeps his promises. At first sight, there is something too happy about the family living under the motto of "life as a journey." But it is not an ideal place for the girl and the boy, each aged 9 and 5, who are often hungry and exposed to danger when they play hide-and-seek in a parking lot full of cars, including heavy-duty trucks. Young-sun (Ra Mi-ran) sympathizes with them and lends 70,000 won (US$50) to Ki-woo but later discovers that he repeatedly takes money from people using the same tactic. The middle-aged woman reports Ki-woo to police and he is arrested on charges of fraud. Unable to leave the pregnant mom and her kids in a police station and still grieving the death of her son, Young-sun takes them to her second-hand furniture store. The makeshift family seems to get along in a safe place, but Ki-woo wants his family back and escapes from the police detention center. Being chased by police, the penniless man haunted by traumatic memories transforms into a violent lunatic. What makes the heart-wrenching drama work is the contrast between Ki-woo's obsession with his family and Young-sun's emotional detachment from her husband after the loss of their son. The homeless family's insecure life is portrayed in shaky hand-held shots, while Young-sun and her husband are mostly locked in shots taken from fixed points. The movie deals with a broader theme of humanity, inequality and morality through the socially and economically isolated family, but it doesn't highlight the loopholes of the welfare system. The homeless family is united by marriage and blood, but it seems apparent that the mom and children can live a normal life when their reckless father is not around. Though Ji-sook loves her children, it is Young-sun who better takes care of them and even teaches the girl, who can't write her name at the age of 9. Audience members can relate to each character in different ways, but they might be baffled by a confusing ending that is not clear whether it's reality or fantasy. "Highway Family" will hit local theaters on Nov. 2. (END)

The Highway Family

Family & Kids,
Jung Il Woo,
Kim Seul Gi,
Bek Hyunjin

Subtitle team

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Highway Family

2022, Drama, 2h 9m

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Rent Highway Family on Apple TV, or buy it on Apple TV.

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Highway family photos.

Ki-woo, a husband and a father of two children, is homeless and stays in highway rest areas. The family lives off scamming passersby, asking them if they can borrow some gas money.

Genre: Drama

Original Language: Korean

Director: Lee Sang-mun

Producer: An Su-yeon , Lee Jeong-eun

Runtime: 2h 9m

Production Co: gogo studio, yeonghwasa seollem

Cast & Crew

Jung Il-woo

Kim Seul-gi

Baik Hyun-jhin

Lee Sang-mun

Lee Jeong-eun

Kim Hyeon-ok

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The Highway Family (2022)

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Trailer: ‘Highway Family’

‘Highway Family’ (고속도로 가족) is a 2022 South Korean drama written and directed by Lee Sang-Moon.

By Phil Mills | Oct 25, 2022

The film revolves around a grieving mother who is drawn to a homeless family after she finds them asking for money at a highway rest stop. The cast includes Ra Mi-Ran , Jung Il-Woo, Kim Seul-Gi, Baek Hyun-Jin, and Seo Yi-Soo.

Synopsis: Ki-Woo (Jung Il-Woo) and Ji-Sook (Kim Seul-Gi) are married and they have two children. They are also homeless. They survive by setting up a tent at highway rest areas and Ki-Woo asks for money from people stopping at the rest area. He lies to those people by telling them that he lost his wallet. One day, Ki-Woo asks for money from Young-Sun (Ra Mi-Ran). Later, Young-Sun sees Ki-Woo asking for money from other people while using the same excuse that he told her. [Source: AsianWiki]

‘Highway Family’ opens across South Korea on November 2, 2022.