Unfortunately,
(Joe) Byung-gi Cho is not in a growth business. He has an extremely loyal but
steadily shrinking customer base. For years, he has delivered groceries and
sundries to the elderly residents of rural An-dong. Not just a merchant, he has become an
integral part of their lives. However, the demands on his time often cause
friction with his own family. Filmmakers Wooyoung Choi & Sinae Ha document
his quiet but not necessarily simple life in Here Comes Uncle Joe (promo here), which airs this
Sunday on PBS World’s Global Voices.
Once,
“Uncle Joe,” as the Aunties and Uncles call him, was a promising academic,
until his relationship with a former student short-circuited his career. They
are still married, with children, but she begrudges all the time his spends
with his An-dong clientele. For many of his customers, Uncle Joe is a lifeline
for nutrition and socialization. To some he is a drinking buddy and to others
he is a surrogate for the grown children who never visit. He cannot help
getting emotionally involved with them, so when one of his aging customers
inevitably passes away, it is hard for him to shake it off.
HCUJ is not just
about plucky oldsters and the younger sensitive cat who hangs with them. It is
largely a gentle observational doc, but the filmmaking duo never sugarcoats
Uncle Joe’s disappointments in life or his own family issues. Yet, despite
catching him in moments of sadness and regret, they clearly suggest his life
has meaning.
So
yes, Uncle Joe seems like an unabashedly good guy. The hour long broadcast
cut captures some moments of real drama, especially when a beloved community
member passes. Still, there is nothing in the film you would consider shocking,
by any stretch. Somehow though, the co-writer-co-directors keep all the niceness
from getting too cloying. Towards that end, Lee Byung-hoon’s elegant acoustic soundtrack
provides a key assist, setting a vibe reminiscent of some Kore-eda’s family
dramas.
