Jang Man-min's feature debut finds modern family caught between affection and self-interest

Official poster of
Official poster of "Silver Apricot" (Korean Academy of Film Arts)

"Blood is thicker than water," goes the age-old saying, a truth long held as unquestionable by many Koreans. But what if that blood becomes literal sustenance, and family members must feed off each other to survive?

That question drives Jang Man-min's "Silver Apricot," a nuanced exploration of family bonds in a modern Korean society driven by material desires.

The premise is simple enough, as a slice of working-class urban life where aspirations for social mobility beckon at every turn. Jung-seo (Na Ae-jin), a contract web designer and webtoon artist in Seoul, wins a highly competitive housing lottery -- a rare shot at a subsidized apartment that could change her fortunes. Unable to afford the deposit, she journeys to her hometown with a saxophone, to which is attached paper from her father acknowledging an old debt.

At her father Young-joo's sashimi restaurant, she meets his new wife and his daughter, her half-sister Jung-hae (Kim Jin-young). Jung-seo's temporary stay unleashes a cascade of competing interests. Young-joo must tap into his new family's savings to help Jung-seo -- money she sees as rightfully hers based on the old debt form. When her boyfriend visits, he too gets entangled in Young-joo's dubious investment schemes, further complicating an already dizzying web of financial obligations and moral dilemmas.

In his feature debut, Jang deftly captures the delicate ambivalence at the heart of these relationships, one that is simultaneously steeped in zero-sum self-interest yet still open to genuine warmth and affection. Characters reveal their deeper motives through barbed comments about the money's proper place, puncturing the familial atmosphere with jolts of realism. Even everyday moments take on a workplace logic governed by quid pro quo -- particularly when Jung-seo naturally falls into restaurant work under her father's direction, given that she's the one rattling the tin.

A scene from 'Silver Apricot' featuring Na Ae-jin (left) and Kim Jin-young (KAFA)
A scene from 'Silver Apricot' featuring Na Ae-jin (left) and Kim Jin-young (KAFA)

Yet "Silver Apricot" does not descend into cynicism. Rather, it refreshingly hints at these calculations while refusing to paint anyone as purely self-centered. It's hard not to be drawn in by Jung-seo's time with her new family, which disarms us with moments of authentic connection that sneak past our suspicions.

This careful balancing act owes as much to the screenplay as to the impressive work of the cast, who bring a lived-in humanity to their respective roles. Na Ae-jin's award-winning performance captures a young woman's frustration as she tries to maintain a core of independence. Ahn Seok-hwan transforms Young-joo from what easily could have been a despicable saxophone-playing womanizer into a charismatic figure whose wily charm proves oddly endearing.

Most notably, Kim Jin-young brings a bright-eyed naivete to Jung-hae, who offers a genuine connection with her half-sister through cute little rituals like getting their ears pierced together and documenting their time together with a video camera. Her playful sincerity suggests the possibility of bonds uncompromised by economic interests -- significantly, through a sisterhood free from the male-driven transactions of the father and husband.

The film keeps this subtle touch until its final minutes when the director’s blunt messaging about patriarchy and labor insecurity clearly overwhelm its nuance. This denouement might satisfy the most devoted activists, but it does certainly come at the cost of artistic cohesion: Some stories benefit from leaving their complexities unresolved, allowing audiences to sit with their emotional implications.

Despite this misstep, "Silver Apricot" is an engaging indie film, its examination of family dynamics resonating in an era where material concerns subsume intimate relationships.

“Silver Apricot” opens nationwide Jan. 15.