Umma [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray]

Director: Iris K. Shim Iris K. Shim

Overview

Umma, directed by Iris K. Shim, tells the story of Amanda (Sandra Oh), whose quiet farm life is disrupted by the arrival of her estranged mother's remains from Korea. Amanda is haunted by her childhood and the fear that she will become like her mother. When the remains arrive, she is warned that her mother's anger will grow as long as they are not properly buried. Still, Amanda refuses to have anything to do with them. She is haunted by her youth and the fear that she will become like her mother, becoming consumed to the point that she begins to be tormented by visions of her.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/24/2022
UPC:	0043396582019
Original Release:	2022
Source:	Sony Pictures
Language:	English
Sales rank:	32,318

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Sandra Oh	Amanda
Fivel Stewart	Chris
MeeWha Alana Lee	Umma
Tom Yi	Mr. Kang
Odeya Rush	River
Dermot Mulroney	Danny
Danielle K. Golden	Paramedic
Hana Kim	Young Girl
Mark Kirksey	Paramedic

Technical Credits

Iris K. Shim

Iris K. Shim	Screenwriter,Director
Matt Black	Executive Producer
Marcei A. Brown	Executive Producer
Peter Luo	Executive Producer
Yedong Mu	Executive Producer
Sandra Oh	Executive Producer
Zhou Tao	Executive Producer
Jeanette Volturno	Executive Producer
Cheng Yang	Executive Producer
Zainab Azizi	Producer
Sam Raimi	Producer

Editorial Reviews

From writer/director Iris K. Shim, Amanda (Sandra Oh) and her daughter Chrissy (Fivel Stewart) are beekeepers in rural America. They have a thriving business thanks to help from a small-town shopkeeper who sells their honey online, causing it to go viral. Amanda has no clue what that means because, plagued by her childhood fears, she and her daughter live a solitary life on their farm without the aid of technology or electricity. When the sun goes down, the lantern and candles are lit. After Amanda's estranged mother dies, her uncle arrives from Korea, bringing the mother's ashes with him. These need to be disposed of so the latter can move on into the afterlife. But instead, Amanda's Umma (the Korean word for mother) begins to haunt her. Umma is a leisurely-paced 83-minute movie that tackles themes of immigration, death, and relationships between mothers and daughters. The script is rich with thematic elements but slight in horror. This film is for an astute audience who likes to be slightly scared. There are a few poorly executed jump scares and murky images of apparitions that distract from the story. Yet, it succeeds as a commentary on the horrors of life but not as a horror film. There is an excellent story somewhere behind the faux paranoia and haunted house tropes, and moviegoers could learn from that story. Unfortunately, Umma never on its potential until it is too late. Still, moviegoers will find something worth watching here, partly due to the excellent casting by Nancy Nayor. Heavy hitter Oh (who also executive produced) brings the realistic horrors to life. She gives a solid, real, and grounded performance. Although it is perhaps too grounded, however hard she tries, it never feels like she cannot overcome her most significant obstacle. Stewart shines as Chrissy, confused by her mother's behavior and yearning for her own independence. One could imagine the audience feeling a kinship with her. Where Umma delivers is the introduction the audience gets to Korean culture, which the film could have expanded on to a more significant effect. Perhaps the best scenes are those that are spoken in Korean, with subtitles. The audience senses passion, fear, and a deeper understanding of Umma. Treating the audience to the Korean language, masks, and rituals elevates not only the movie but the audience. Moviegoers are asked to expand their thinking. It is possible that those who are not generally fans of horror may like this film more than horror buffs. While it does not deliver in the horror genre, it does have something to offer as a film. It is thought-provoking and suspenseful and is worth seeing for the solid acting performances of Sandra Oh and the supporting cast. At its core, Umma is less a scary movie and more a movie about being scared.