What is “Ajooma?”
We were prompted to look up its meaning recently, with TBA Studios inviting us to a private screening of a movie bearing the title.
A quick dip in Google University revealed Ajooma or Ajumma, is a Korean word for a middle-aged woman. Basically, an auntie.
We predicted the film would be a melodrama of sorts focusing on, well, an ajooma.
It is actually, but “Ajooma” offers more. It allows one to think, laugh, reflect, among others things.
Playing the ajooma in “Ajooma” is veteran Singaporean actress Hong Huifang.
She is embarking on a solo trip to Seoul, Korea – something she had long wanted to do being a huge fan of anything K-pop. It’s a huge leap for her. She has spent her life being around her son and the thought of travelling to a foreign country by herself is quite intimidating for her.
But where’s the son? Well, he is out hoping to land a job in the US, leaving the mom to brave the trip by her lonesome.
Director He Shuming could have easily gone the easy route, crafting a simple fish-out-of-water comedy focusing on the ajooma’s confusion being in a strange, new place but, no. He highlighted the humanity inherent to the situation, in the process creating a film that allows audiences to ponder on parenthood, growing old, letting go.
The director said the story is actually inspired by his own mother’s fascination with Korean dramas.
“While the premise seems to be timely given the popularity of Korean pop culture sweeping through all of Asia and beyond, it merely serves as an undertone for the film, which is about a middle-aged Singaporean woman learning to navigate life beyond her duties as a mother, a housewife, and a caretaker.”
The film, which also stars Kang Hyung Suk, Jung Dong Hwan, and Yeo Jin Goo, has racked up numerous awards and recognitions, including four nominations at the 59th Golden Horse Awards.
It opens in Philippine cinemas March 15.
