Ajoomma
In this heartwarming dramedy that handles heavy topics with a light touch, a middle-aged widow (Hong Huifang) journeys to Seoul to discover herself and learn that there’s more to life than watching Korean soap operas.
"Ajoomma" (also spelled "ajumma") is Korean for "middle-aged woman"—a title that means both "auntie" and "Karen," community care-takers and out-of-touch finger-waggers rolled up in one. Lin Mei Hua (Aunty) knows this term well. After all, she loves K-dramas. Now that her husband is dead and her son feels distant, Lin Mei spends her time studying the language, plotlines, and characters of her favorite dramas. So when her only child Sam backs out of their mother-son trip to South Korea for a job interview in the U.S., she decides to go anyway. The only Singaporean in an organized group tour filled with Chinese, Aunty finds herself socially isolated...and then accidentally left behind. She must then call upon the internal boldness that brought her to Korea to help her survive being alone in a country where the only language she knows is what she's picked up on TV. In this charming dramedy and first-ever Singapore-Korea film collaboration, director He Shuming tells the touching story of a woman who starts to understand the freedom born out of loss, embrace her ajoomma-ness, and live out her own soap opera.
- Director: He Shuming
- Principal Cast: Hong Huifang, Jung Dong-Hwan, Kang Hyung Suk, Shane Pow
- Country: Singapore, South Korea
- Year: 2022
- Running Time: 90 min.
- Producer: Anthony Chen
- Screenplay: He Shuming, Kris Ong
- Cinematographers: Hwang Gyeonghyeon
- Editors: Jasmine Ng, Armiliah Aripin
- Music: Ting Si Hao
- Website: Official Film Website
- Awards: Busan International Film Festival 2022 (New Currents), Official Oscar Submission 2023 (Best International Feature)
- Filmography: Debut Feature Film
- Language: Mandarin, Korean
- Has Subtitles: Yes
- International Sales: Rediance