Jerome Yoo's Mongrels is a meditative exploration of grief and uncertain new beginnings. The film is divided into three parts: God, Cowboy, and Blonde, and each segment focuses on one of the three main characters. A father, son, and daughter emigrated from Korea to start a new life in Canada. This was supposed to be the good life they were promised, but dealing with the unknown was challenging. At the heart of the film is each character's sense of grief and reaction to this constant agony. Sonny had a strange connection with animals, particularly dogs; it was almost as if he could communicate with them. Scott Larson hired him to kill the mixed-breed dogs that lived in the area. He considered the animals a threat to livestock, crops, and humans. Sonny was tasked with killing the wild dogs, and he experienced a sense of contradiction because, in a way, he identified with these creatures more than anything else in the foreign country.
The only way Sonny could make a living in Canada was by getting his hands bloody. Instead of using his ability to communicate with the dogs, he whispered to convince them to surrender, and used his sharp dagger to take their lives with a single blow. Sonny identified more with the dogs than with the people around him. The dogs were infiltrators the landowners wanted rid of, and as a migrant worker, Sonny knew he was at the mercy of men like Larson, who might one day consider him an invader. The film's title not only refers to wild dogs but also hints at the connection Sonny and his family shared with the dogs. They, too, had been uprooted and taken to a foreign land, and their greatest fear was perhaps forgetting their place of origin.
Director: Jerome Yoo
Writer: Jerome Yoo
Stars: Sein Jin, Jae-Hyun Kim, Da-Nu Nam
After the first kill, Sonny found the howling of the dogs unbearable. Perhaps it was their guilt that reminded him that he was the cause of their pain. But Sonny had to be emotionally strong for the sake of his children, who depended on his income. Scott offered Sonny a huge sum of money to hunt an alpha mixed-race son who lived in the mountains. He could use him as a trophy to decorate the walls of his house. He believed his spirit would protect his family from mixed-race attacks. Sonny accepted the challenge; he needed the money.
Sonny didn't want his children to adapt to white customs. He didn't approve of them praying before meals or eating with a knife and fork. He already sensed that they wouldn't always be faithful to their culture, and this bothered him, possibly because he felt he had failed as a father by not teaching his children the ways of their ancestors. Since he was primarily occupied with hunting, the only time he had with his children was spent exercising dominance. Sonny wanted them to obey him and follow the rules of his house, as that was the only space he still controlled. He didn't appreciate Hajoon's growing friendship with Larson's son, Noah. When Hajoon tried to sneak out at night, Sonny made it very clear he wasn't in favor of their friendship. He reminded him that, although they appeared friendly, they didn't really care about people like him, and that self-interest should be their only driving force. Hajoon didn't understand his father's beliefs; he was a lonely teenager, and spending time with people his own age helped him temporarily forget all his worries and loss.
During the hunt in the mountains, Sonny shot an alpha male dog. Later, though, he found a collar and likely discovered the dog he had killed was a domestic. Scott and his team celebrated the moment, especially marveling at Sonny's skill, but their celebration was interrupted by a woman crying. She had lost her dog and found its corpse among the pile of dog bodies the hunters had collected. She was devastated, and when Sonny apologized, she slapped him and accused him of being a dog killer.
Hajoon didn't identify with his father, and his sister was too young to fully understand him. There were days when Hajoon felt extremely lonely, and all he longed for was his mother's affection. He enjoyed spending time with Noah and his friends. Even though they weren't very similar, at least he could still be a teenager around them. He tried to help his father by preparing meals and taking care of the house, but none of it was enough for Sonny. One day, Hajoon accompanied him hunting, and he had difficulty killing the stray dog he had caught. Sonny insulted him for being weak, but Hajoon didn't see anything wrong with not being like his father. \
He knew his mother would never have approved of his father's work, believing in saving lives, not taking them. Sonny continued to humiliate Hajoon, possibly because he knew his son was right and could already sense how little respect Hajoon had for his job. He felt the need to establish his authority, and instead of opening up to his son, Sonny isolated him so his children wouldn't perceive him as "weak." While Sonny wanted his son to contribute to his business, Hajoon realized he wasn't like his father and wasn't interested in catching dogs. The guilt of not doing enough for his family began to diminish with the joy of being with like-minded people. One night, Hajoon snuck out of his house and went partying with Noah and his friends.
It was a whole new side of life that he had only just begun to explore. He knew his father would never have approved, but as a teenager, Hajoon was ready to adapt to a new lifestyle and discover who he was as a person. Hajoon had developed a fondness for Noah. He felt a little envious watching him dance with a girl, but was relieved to go back to talk to him. That night, when Hajoon and Noah were in the woods, he broke down. Noah was confused at first, but Hajoon explained that he felt lost most of the time. His father's expectations clashed with his own desires, and he sometimes struggled to adapt to his new surroundings. He found solace in the moon, for it had witnessed his past and present. Noah kissed Hajoon and didn't pull away. But as soon as Hajoon understood the implications of the kiss, he grew afraid and ran away.
When Hajoon returned home, he found his father waiting for him. He begged his father to forgive him, but it was clear Sonny was disappointed in his son. He slapped him and challenged him to speak his mind instead of whispering behind his back. Hajoon didn't hold back; he blamed Sonny for King Kong's disappearance because he knew his father always lost control when his patience ran out. Hajoon went on to say something he'd probably thought a few times but never had the courage to say out loud. He accused Sonny of stealing his mother's happiness because he had lost his patience with her.
While the film doesn't delve into why his mother died, it's possible that she had suffered abuse (emotional or even physical) and had fallen into a deep depression. Sonny could tell that his son disgusted him, and this enraged him even more. He repeatedly slapped Hajoon; he had pinned him to the ground and was about to hit him hard when he suddenly realized he was doing exactly what his son had accused him of. Once again, he was choosing anger to control himself. When Sonny loosened his grip, Hajoon hit and slapped his father, but Sonny took the blow without protest. He knew he had hurt his son and that they were both suffering. The truth was, he had no control over anything: his son saw his flaws through the thick walls, and Sonny finally felt vulnerable enough to break down and cry. Father and son hugged and cried profusely.
Sonny didn't know how to tell Hana that her mother was gone. Hajoon insisted they should tell her the truth, but Sonny was afraid of breaking her heart. With her father busy with work and her brother with his new friends, Hana felt alone. She wondered where her mother was and why she hadn't joined them. Her mother had told her that if she swallowed 100 airplanes, she could grant any wish. The little girl had been carefully grabbing the airplanes in the sky with her small palms and putting them in her mouth. She kept count and waited for the 100th plane to fly by. Scott's wife, Laura, was her only company. Hana was the daughter Laura never had, and she began to project all her wishes onto her. Hana felt out of place most of the time. Even though they told her they were almost family, she knew she didn't belong there. Hana no longer knew where she fit in. Microwaved food always made her miss her mother a little more. He realized how his father referred to the blonde woman.
Deep down, Hana understood that her mother wouldn't be returning. The pleasant memory of the past felt a little less distant as she smelled the hanbok her mother had made her. She decided to wear the dress, and Laura painted her nails red to match the outfit. She also decided to dye her hair blonde. Although Hana didn't hesitate at first, she eventually rebelled against fitting into a structure. She knew blonde hair was considered beautiful, but it also meant losing a part of herself, and she wasn't ready for that. She ran into the forest, swallowed another airplane, and played the flute her father carried, hoping that nature would guide her to her mother.
She refused to believe she was gone, and all she wanted was to see her mother one last time. Laura informed Sonny and Hajoon about Hana's disappearance. Sonny found his little girl in the forest, staring into the vastness. She refused to leave until she was reunited with her mother. She expressed her disappointment in her father and brother for not talking more about her mother. She didn't understand why everyone around them seemed to have suddenly forgotten her, but she couldn't stop thinking about her and was tired of pretending her absence didn't affect her. Sonny no longer knew what to say to his daughter; the belief that her mother would appear if he called gave him a strange sense of hope. He wanted to believe Hana's simplistic logic; he hoped his wife would come out of the woods and find them one last time.
Sonny bonded with his daughter, and they both called out to her in despair. Hana eventually accepted defeat, stating that it all felt like a nightmare. The wild dogs gathered around them, but none were aggressive, suggesting that the father and daughter's calmness made them feel safe. Sonny promised his daughter that everything would be okay from now on. He had realized how the grief had affected his children, and not addressing the elephant in the room wasn't really the solution. It was the honest conversation that helped him connect with his children, and he knew he had to be a better father figure. He couldn't replace his wife, but at least his children would have a father to rely on. Hana sometimes picked up her dead phone to talk to her mother, just like her father.
"Mongrels" ends with Hana celebrating her birthday. Scott gave Hana a bicycle, and it seemed Sonny had come to accept the Larsons' presence in his children's lives. Hana rode the bike to the sunflower field; perhaps the day was much like the one Sonny had described on the phone to his wife (the one where Hana uttered the word "mother" for the first time). Sonny, Hajoon, and Hana eventually gathered at the nearby lake to scatter the ashes. Sonny remembered his wife always describing a place near the lake that was very similar to the countryside where they lived.
He firmly believed she was watching over them, and his children agreed. They all howled together, expressing their grief in the most primitive way, hoping to reach the soul of the person they had lost. When Hana turned around, she saw a dog by the lake, and perhaps interpreted it as a sign that her mother had come to say goodbye. The family was finally ready to move on; of course, they would miss her often, but they were able to become a support for each other and stick together as a family.
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