Hong Hui Fang in 'Ajoomma'

It’s quite easy for many of us to nrelate to and fall in love with the film, Ajoomma, a first-ever collaboration between South Korean and Singaporean production houses. Perhaps, it helps that we are, just like them, Asians who share the same interests and passions, sense of humor and flair for drama, the sentimental, so that even their life storylines run parallel to our own experiences. Such is what happened when we watched Ajoomma during a recent preview at Cinema 76 at its new, well-appointed location on Tomas Morato Avenue in Quezon City. Ajoomma opened in cinemas on March 15. How quickly we can identify, and see ourselves, our family members, even neighbors and friends, or just about anyone and everyone as the motley set of characters unfold in this charming, sweet little film about finding oneself in the thick of middle-aged loneliness in a foreign country. Ajoomma (auntie in Korean) has been Singapore's first nomination for the Best International Feature Film in recent 95th Oscars. The 90-minuter, director He Shuming’s debut feature, is distributed in the country by TBA Studios.

A scene from 'Ajoomma'

xxx Ajoomma tells the story of a middle-aged widow (Hong Hui Fang) obsessed with Korean pop culture and its soap operas. In the humdrum of daily life, she turns to repeating the dramatic lines of her favorite Korean stars when she’s not flexing it out at the park for her morning Zumba sessions. She is forced to travel abroad, to South Korea, for the first time in her life and discovers more than what she bargained for in Seoul, including finding a romantic interest in the midst of a personal misfortune (she misses her tourist bus at the height of a cold, wintry night) and while lost in translation. Lost, alone and facing language barriers, Auntie accidentally gets involved in the lives of a security guard and a tour guide whose life lessons she gets to apply in her relationship with her own family back home. Her journey to self-discovery is marked, not marred, by the kindness of strangers on whom she depends. Can you now see how so very Filipino her life story and journey has been thus far?
xxx Ajoomma is noteworthy for its simple, straightforward storytelling, deliberate in the low-key performances of its cast. Hong Hui Fang, a veteran Singaporean actress, maintains a cool, oftentimes cold, façade throughout the film where she is perpetually protected by sweaters and jackets. Her presence, formal and subdued, lends the film a kind of silence that grows on you like a blossoming love affair that starts from a shy, little “Hi” or “Hello.” Actually, Ajoomma is just like that. It is beautiful and touching in its being unobtrusive, a film that sees you through peaks and valleys of human experiences that leave an indelible mark on your soul to which it speaks despite the obvious language barrier.