In her feature debut, Director Iris K. Shim casts Sandra Oh as the lead of her eerie ghost story titled Umma (the Korean word for ‘mother’). Oh plays Amanda, a Korean immigrant who is raising her teenage daughter Chris (Fivel Stewart) on a rural farm away from the world. They work as beekeepers, harvesting the honey to sell as their main form of revenue. Chris and Amanda are as close as a mother and daughter could be, and all seems peaceful on their little farm. But, for an inexplicable reason, Amanda refuses to use modern technology or have anything to do with electricity in any way. When Danny (Dermot Mulroney), a local friend of the family, arrives at their house to pick up the honey to help them sell, he parks his truck at the fence and leaves his watch and phone in the vehicle. Maybe it’s a little odd, but we all have our quirks, right?

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We know something nefarious is going on right as the film kicks off, and when a man drives to the farm and announces himself as Amanda’s uncle (Tom Yi), he brings with him horrible news. Amanda’s umma (MeeWha Alana Lee) is dead. She died calling out for Amanda, and now she must take on the burden of receiving her ashes and preparing a memorial to put her spirit to rest. As her uncle puts it, “It’s the child who has obligations to the parent,” and after years of running away from those obligations, it’s time to face the music. But Amanda wants absolutely nothing to do with her mother or her family. She pushes her uncle away and rejects the idea. Ominously, he tells her that her spirit will not rest until Amanda has given her a proper ceremony.

The more time Amanda spends near her mother’s treasured belongings and ashes, the more we learn about her tragic past. Without spoiling too much, her relationship with her mother was a troubled one. It took a turn for the worst when her father left the family, leaving just Amanda and her umma. After a week of celebrating how an Asian mother-daughter relationship can develop for the better with Turning Red, Umma is a sharp pivot into the abusive and toxic side of the relationship. The film has to take on a lot, not only dealing with the trauma of Umma, but also the fear that Amanda feels of Chris wanting to spread her wings and leave the nest.


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Image via Sony Pictures

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In a horrific examination of motherhood and the unhealthy attachment that a parent can develop for their child, Umma examines the ties that bind a parent and a child, the burden that parents put on their children of expectations, and the tug of a child who wishes to break off and embrace independence. Mixed in there is a story of an immigrant family, how emigrating to a foreign country can isolate and humiliate you if you suddenly lose all status, sense of community, and the basic ability to communicate.

The experience of growing up with her mother was so traumatic that as an adult Amanda has completely disassociated with her Korean heritage. Chris doesn’t speak any Korean, she has never seen a hanbok (the traditional dress of Korea), and she hardly knows anything about her family history. It’s clear that in an effort to cut herself off from her umma, Amanda has severed all connection she has to being Korean. It might seem like Shim is pulling from a lot, and there are moments when it feels like the beast of the film is a bit out of control, but the elements mesh together in the end because they all lead back into Amanda’s childhood and her relationship with her umma.



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Image via Sony Pictures

She has a very real and relatable fear, as a child of abuse, she doesn’t want to grow up like her mother. Her umma’s ghost serves as a metaphor for her own fears, compounded by the supernatural element. And, as she wrestles with the ghost of her past, it’s obvious she knows she’s gone off the rails but can’t seem to stop herself. Oh gives an exciting performance as Amanda, going from a sweet and doting mom to a vengeful and formidable spirit. Her character shows growth and eventually finds some version of catharsis, learning to embrace her past rather than run from it.

As far as horror films go, the scares are minimal. Co-produced by horror director Sam Raimi, the spookiness is there, but there’s less of a reliance on jump scares and more simply on the atmospheric horror of the haunting. Extra praise should be given to the makeup and special effects teams that morphed Oh’s face with Lee’s in a disturbing but harmonious way. Stewart is good as Chris, though Chris’ character is more there to push Amanda to overcome her own past trauma. She fits well into the mold of a curious teenager who is ready to explore the world, though she does not break it. Umma is a solid entry for Shim’s debut with a strong story and standout leading performance from Oh, it examines generational trauma, identity, and what it means to confront your past, and she does it effectively.


Rating: B+

Umma comes to theaters on March 18.



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