Meet your everyday family: an ailing
divorced single mom daughter; the
youngest son a chauffeur; an eldest son
who tries to keep the family together
and their impoverished older parents
who are always reluctant to ask them
for money. Since retiring an elderly
couple only meager income comes
from small amounts from their children all of whom have forgotten their
mother’s birthday. The oldest son, In-cheol worries about his livelihood after
early retirement after seeing what has
become of his parents. In-cheol’s wife,
Hye-jeong experiences her own problems due to infertility. The youngest
son, In-ho struggles with money problems as well as he tries to save money
by doing freight and chauffeur service
work, but it is never enough to repay
his student loan. The only daughter, Gyeong-jin is a single working mother
who is always busy herself in raising her
own son with autism and battles her
ex-husband over custody. Each fam-
ily member have their own burdens to
bear but when more misfortune befalls
them will the family be able to survive?

The Dinner has been heralded for
its unashamedly depiction of realism.
Through one family director Kim Dong-
hyun (A Shark, Hello Stranger) creates
a cutting true representation of Korean
society. Not unlike the British filmmaker, Mike Leigh with Another Year or Life
is Sweet this kitchen sink drama is both
touching and revealing about contemporary life and its problems.