By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
There have been many films that have shed light on motherly love such as "Running Boy" (2005), "Herb" (2006) and "Sunflower" (2007), where single mothers raised their children overcoming hardships.
Now it's the fathers' turn. This spring, local filmmakers are paying a particular attention to fathers, as many new films portray the contemporary father.
At the box office, the audience can choose from a range of films that center on fatherly love. These fathers have different jobs according to their social class. But what they share in common is, of course, the devotion and affection they have for their family.
Directed by Park Kwang-su, the film is a story of a man who learns about fatherly love, something he never experienced as a child himself.
Jong-dae is a ruthless and selfish man. One day, after a fight, he is placed in a police cell. He receives a visitor, a former love.
She tells him that he is the father of her child and she pays the fine to get him out of jail on the condition that he will spend one month with the child.
The father first finds it irritating to live with his seven-year-old daughter, who is just happy to see her father for the first time. Through her, he opens his heart and recognizes how adorable she is as she helps him learn about true love.
But a tragic moment strikes as he finds out that she has a terminal illness and a short time to live.
Actor Park Shin-yang, who is back after starring in the 2004 thriller "The Big Swindle," said it was hard to express the change that his character goes through from a selfish man to a devoted father.
"My character has this exaggerated personality. He is strong, sensitive and ruthless. But he is changed through his daughter,"Park said.