Rainy Days

Rainy Days is set in the early 1950s, during the Korean War. Living together at Dong-man’s house with Dong-man and his father’s family is his mother’s family, who fled from their hometown to escape the war. One night, as the monsoon rain pours down, Dong-man’s maternal grandmother (Hwang Jung-seun) sits immersed in thoughts of her son, who died fighting North Korean guerilla soldiers. She yells to the thunder and lightning to wipe out the Communists. Her querulous cries get on the nerves of Dong-man’s paternal grandmother (Kim Sin-jae), whose younger son Dong-man’s uncle (Lee Dae-keun)is a Communist guerilla fighter. This incident instigates a cold war between the two grandmothers. Then one day, Dong-man blurts out to a stranger that his uncle has been to his house, which causes his father to be taken in for questioning by a detective. Around this time, a group of guerillas attack the town. When all the guerillas end up getting killed, Dong-man’s father concludes that his brother must also be dead. But his mother refuses to believe it and goes to consult a fortuneteller, who not only tells her that her younger son is still alive but also predicts when he will return. On the day forecasted by the fortuneteller, Dong-man’s paternal grandmother prepares food and waits for her son, but a large snake crawls into the house instead. She assumes that the snake is her son’s spirit, and appeases it. The snake circles the inside of the house then disappears through the front gate. After this incident, Dong-man’s two grandmothers reconcile with each other. —koreafilm.org