The Story of Our Home, a Korean feature produced last year, became a great public favourite as soon as it was put on.
Ri Jong A, the heroine, is a girl in her late teens who has just finished a senior middle school. Going on an errand for her mother who was a colleague of Un Jong’s parents before their death—they were model workers at the Chollima Steel Complex— she begins to visit the home of the orphaned children. Un Jong’s family kept a book titled The Story of Our Home which describes dreams and happy life of the parents and children.
After the loss of her parents Un Jong, student at a senior middle school, is no longer good at her studies looking after her younger siblings and household affairs, and finally gives up an opportunity to take part in a national math contest. Her younger siblings, Un Hyang and Un Chol, also have troubles with their studies and yearn for mother’s love.
Jong A decides to become their sister and devotes her sincerity to them. But Un Jong regards it as cheap sympathy and refuses to accept it, making troubles.
One day Jong A manages to get a set of famous Korean Pomhyanggi cosmetics for her top prize at a cooking contest. But she exchanges the cosmetics for some school things which are the third-place prize. While she is on her way home it begins raining. She remembers Un Hyang forgot taking an umbrella, so she heads for her school, when she receives a phone call and learns that her mother is in a critical condition. So she asks her friend to bring an umbrella to Un Hyang for her and rushes to see her mother. But since her friend and Un Hyang are strangers, they pass each other. Consequently, Un Hyang catches a cold in rain. That night Jong A arrives at Un Jong’s home late and apologizes to Un Hyang giving out the school things but Un Jong refuses to take them. She takes her siblings outside and says Jong A is anyone but their relative and persuades them not to let her come again to their home. Seeing it, Jong A bursts into tears.
Un Jong finally accepts Jong A’s sincerity feeling grateful to her and her family resume their hopeful life. Un Jong wants to be a scientist, Un Hyang a music teacher, and Un Chol a footballer; they all work hard. Jong A adopts four more orphans—among them is a baby— and gives up everything about the prime of youth— dreams, enjoyment and romance—solely to take care of them. She says to the children, “My dream is to help yours come true.”
Jong A becomes known to the whole country when she is honoured to address the Second National Conference of Exemplary Young People of Virtue. Supreme leader Kim Jong Un, speaking highly of her deed, called her maiden mother and honoured her by having a photo taken with her and put her forward as laureate of Kim Jong Il Youth Honour Prize.
When she comes back home from the conference the children run up to her happily, calling her mother.
Un Jong says, taking out the book The Story of Our Home, “We want you to write in this book from now on, mother.” Jong A and the children draw a picture of their family including the head of their neighborhood unit, the chief secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea district committee and their teachers and put it in the book. Then they write in the book that their father is Kim Jong Un who concerns himself with the affairs of their home, an unknown family, and that their home is the Workers’ Party of Korea’s bosom.
The film ends with Jong A’s saying that the story of their home, the best in the world, will continue forever.
Based on a story about the maiden mother loved by all people across the country, particularly respected by the young people, the film received the Best Film award, at the 15th Pyongyang International Film Festival held last year, when the heroine was given the Best Actress of Feature Film award.
Rim Sang Jun
