''My Mother, the Mermaid'' (; lit. "The Mermaid Princess") is a 2004

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

n film about a young woman who quarrels with her mother but is somehow transported back in time and sees her parents' courtship. In her youth, her mother was a

haenyeo (also spelled ) (Hangul: ; lit. "sea women") are female divers in the Korean province of Jeju, whose livelihood consists of harvesting a variety of mollusks, seaweed, and other sea life from the ocean. Known for their independent spirit, iron ...

, a traditional freediver.

Synopsis

Na-young (

Jeon Do-yeon Jeon Do-yeon (; born February 11, 1973) is a South Korean actress. She won Best Actress at the 60th Cannes Film Festival, making her the second Korean actress to win an acting award at a prestigious film festival, and Best Performance by an Ac ...

) is an office worker who lives with her seemingly emotionally non-existent father Jin-kook (Kim Bong-geun), and loud cynical mother Yeon-soon (

Go Doo-shim Go Doo-shim (; born May 22, 1951) is a South Korean actress. Career A native of Jeju Island, Go Doo-shim made her acting debut in 1972 and since then she had a prolific career on television, film and theater. Best known for playing the quintes ...

). As time passes, she is becoming more and more like her mother Yeon-soon. One day, her father suddenly disappears and she skips her international airplane flight to find him. By entering her father's hometown, she is somehow transported back in time to when her parents' relationship was just beginning. She meets her mother, now a poor young woman (

) working hard as a

haenyo (also spelled ) (Hangul: ; lit. "sea women") are female divers in the Korean province of Jeju, whose livelihood consists of harvesting a variety of mollusks, seaweed, and other sea life from the ocean. Known for their independent spirit, iron ...

to send her younger brother to school to get the education she never received. Her father is a charming man (

Park Hae-il Park Hae-il (born 26 January 1977) is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in theater, but soon gained the film industry's attention in 2003 with ''Jealousy Is My Middle Name'' and ''Memories of Murder''. Park's film career took off, ...

) who works as a postmaster who delivers mail all over the town where her mother lived. He befriends Yeon-soon and teaches her how to read and write. Na-young is taken in by the young Yeon-soon and, as they are now roughly the same age, the two become very close. Na-young is able to experience the trials, heartbreaks, and celebrations of Yeon-soon before she herself is suddenly transported back into the present time.

Awards and nominations

2004 Busan Film Critics Awards"My Mother, the Mermaid - Awards"
''Cinemasie''. Retrieved 2012-12-23. * Best Supporting Actress -

2004 Blue Dragon Film Awards * Nomination - Best Film * Nomination - Best Director - Park Heung-sik * Nomination - Best Actress -

* Nomination - Best Supporting Actress -

* Nomination - Best Cinematography - Choi Young-taek 2004 Korean Film Awards * Best Actress -

* Best Supporting Actress -

* Nomination - Best Actor -

* Nomination - Best Screenplay - Park Heung-sik and Song Hye-jin * Nomination - Best Cinematography - Choi Young-taek * Nomination - Best Art Direction - Cho Geun-hyun * Nomination - Best Music - Jo Seong-woo 2004

Director's Cut Awards The Director's Cut Awards () is an annual awards ceremony for excellence in film in South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sha ...

* Best Actress -

2005

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were first introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the Hankook Ilbo newspap ...

* Best Director - Park Heung-sik * Nomination - Best Actress -

2005

Chunsa Film Art Awards The Chunsa Film Art Awards (also known as the Icheon Chunsa Film Festival) have been presented in South Korea since the founding of the prize by the Korea Film Directors' Society in 1990. The awards take their name from the pen name of the early ...

* Best Actress -

2005 Grand Bell Awards * Nomination - Best Director - Park Heung-sik * Nomination - Best Actress -

* Nomination - Best Supporting Actress -

* Nomination - Best Screenplay - Park Heung-sik and Song Hye-jin

References

External links

* * * * {{Hancinema film, My_Mother_v__the_Mermaid, My Mother, the Mermaid 2004 films 2004 drama films South Korean drama films Films about time travel Films set in Jeju Films shot in Jeju 2000s Korean-language films Films directed by Park Heung-sik (born 1965) 2000s South Korean films