by Kay Curry
Northwest Asia Weekly
Umma is a thriller starring Sandra Oh as Amanda, a woman haunted by her mother (“umma” is “mother” in Korean). It’s an unexpectedly multi-layered story that is as dramatic as it is terrifying, exploring the concept of motherhood within the framework of horror movies, but the genre has an unusual level of empathy for every character, including the antagonist – “umma.”
“I feel like I have to say before every interview that it wasn’t directly inspired by my mother,” laughs writer-director Iris K. Shim, who insisted to Asia Weekly in case anyone doubted.
“None of these are literal interpretations of my life.” Instead, Shim wants to talk about identity, as a mother or a daughter. While not the explicit theme of the film, immigration also comes up, along with a connection to one’s culture. For Shim, the process of writing the story brought her closer to her Korean ancestry. Some of the symbols in the film, such as the Korean funeral masks, are objects Shen saw in her home but did not understand.
“I just knew they were Korean and owned by my parents. I never really questioned it, but as I started to learn more…I started to understand that there is a rich history behind these masks.”
In the film, Amanda must deal with PTSD from her abusive mother (played by MeeWha Alana Lee). You can tell right away that she has spent her life not only dealing with this trauma, but making sure it doesn’t seep into her life with her daughter Chris (played by Fivel Stewart). We knew something was happening right away in Amanda’s nightmare, and “Uma” spoke to her in typical guilt-laden native tongue, “Why can’t you see how much you’ve hurt me?” We got some horrific hints,” umma” tortured Amanda in some way. We learned that Amanda lived “off the grid” as a beekeeper and that electricity was not allowed on the property because it “made her sick”. Amanda and Chris lived a peaceful, almost intimate relationship, until “Uma” started inserting herself more and more.
Chris knows nothing about her roots, her grandmother, or the pain her mother is going through, except that she often comforts Amanda after her nightmares. In addition to the mask, other symbols, such as the nine-tailed fox, are meant to represent this strangeness of Chris to all things Korea — and to reflect Shim’s experience writing the story.
“When I started thinking more about Korean folklore, I came across this nine-tailed fox… an image I’d never seen before.”
Shim, who was born in South Korea but came to the United States as an infant, began calling her first-generation relatives to ask about the legend.
“It was a funny moment for me, I felt like I was of Korean descent, but I didn’t realize it.” So did Chris, who “despite her Korean heritage, she saw The picture looks so unfamiliar, so different…it really means it’s a little bit illogical, she just realizes in this moment, I don’t know what it is.”
Not only does Chris have to learn about her Korean ancestry “at any time”, but also about her mother’s trauma as “umma”‘s malicious haunting becomes all too real in their lives. As shocking events unfold (we don’t know at first whether “Uma” is dead or alive), we wonder if what Amanda has been trying to avoid all her life will happen – if she will “be” her mom .
“The idea of being your mom is pretty much every woman’s worst nightmare,” Shim says. “Even if you adore your mom, the idea of being her is still kind of scary…it’s definitely something I want to dig into. What fun doing it [this] Genre spaces, is where you can really have a scene, and they really… become the physical representation of a person’s worst fears. (Shim admits that we can also see ourselves becoming our fathers).
This movie is absolutely terrifying, supernatural, but what “keeps it real” is that, first, there are abusive mothers like “umma” in the world, and second, most people can relate to at least some degree Push and Pull Link There is guilt, burden, and love between children and parents. Amanda wants to “get rid of” “Uma” while Chris just wants to go to college. Both pose a threat to the elderly. As it turns out, Amanda has done a lot for her daughter’s well-being, but Chris doesn’t know it until Amanda “under the influence of ‘Uma'” couldn’t resist the whole ‘I’ve got you in my arms’ shenanigans, accusing Chris is disrespectful and willful.
These words are familiar to us, even triggering. There’s the joy of motherhood, but also tyranny, like when Amanda’s uncle tells her that it’s her responsibility to take care of “Uma” – even if “Uma” is abusive. Warning – abused people may have a hard time watching this movie. On the other hand, the healing opportunities out there may be helpful to many viewers. About our parents, and something about “umma” neither we nor Amanda knew. The same is true for Shim, who explained that as immigrants, her parents “tried to protect me from what they were going through… Now they’re more open about what’s going on with me. It’s true, or some of the struggles they’ve been through, And realizing they were trying to protect me by hiding something from me really made me appreciate the kind of struggle they were going through.”
Will Amanda become her mother? Will Chris and Amanda maintain their closeness? Why can’t Amanda turn on the light bulb? Will Amanda hang out with the still-hot Dermot Mulroney? “Umma” gets your heart racing, but also makes you think and feel. It’s not just a horror movie. “Umma” brings cultural and psychological insight while taking viewers from the entire arc of horror to the cause of horror to the deeply satisfying solution.
Kai can be contacted at info@nwasianweekly.com.
