Starring: Jo Seung-woo, Kim Mi-sook, Lee Ki-young
Director: Jeong Yoon-cheol
Category: I (Korean)
It's a good thing Cho-won, a young man with a passion for marathon running, is afflicted with autism. Given Marathon's sugar-coated treatment, the 20-year-old would never have lasted the race had he been diabetic.
There's no questioning the production's sincerity. It's impossible not to admire a film that seeks to break down people's ignorance about autism. The script has a solid background, based on the struggles and triumphs of an autistic marathon runner. It's a pity the filmmakers take a path so saccharine and predictable.
Not that this has been a handicap in its native South Korea, where Marathon is one of the year's box office and critical successes - receiving six Daejong (Grand Bell) Film Festival awards, including best picture, first-time director (Jeong Yoon-cheol), and actor (for Jo Seung-woo's portrayal of Cho-won). But the real acting honours belong to Kim Mi-sook, whose stoic, resigned and passionate portrayal of Cho-won's mother, Kyung-sook, is the film's emotional centrepiece.