3.5/5 stars In Birthday , South Korean heavyweights Sul Kyung-gu and Jeon Do-yeon deliver a masterclass in on-screen bereavement as parents grieving after their son’s death in the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster . Viewers looking for a dramatic reconstruction of the tragedy, or an investigation into its controversial aftermath, will be sorely disappointed, however. Writer-director Lee Jong-un trains his focus solely on the Jeong family, and specifically the efforts of its estranged patriarch Jung-il (Sul) to ingratiate himself into the fractured household two years after the tragedy. Returning to Seoul following a stint overseas “making money”, Jung-il discovers that his wife, Soon-nam (Jeon), has failed to move on from the death of their son: she continues to buy clothes and food for Su-ho (Yoon Chan-young), while his bedroom remains exactly as he left it. Soon-nam all but refuses to communicate with Jung-il on his return, and greets him, not with a smile, but with divorce papers, which he refuses to sign. He has better luck with their daughter, Ye-sol (played by astonishing eight-year-old Kim Bo-min). Despite having only vague memories of her father, she warms to him quickly, finding in Jung-il the comfort and attention she has been deprived of by her mother. Jung-il learns that a bereavement group, supporting the parents of all the young victims, is planning to celebrate Su-ho’s upcoming birthday. While Soon-nam has been avoiding the idea, Jung-il sees it as an important next step in accepting their son’s death. The unseen parties responsible for the accident are also offering compensation to the victims’ families, but many are choosing to fight them in the courts instead. As the Jeongs’ financial struggles become evident, the issue threatens to drive another wedge between them. While the spectre of the disaster, which claimed 304 lives on April 16, 2014, looms ominously over the proceedings, only fleeting reference is made to the event itself. So vague are the details that uninformed audiences may struggle to determine exactly what happened to Su-ho and his classmates. Similarly, the quagmire of controversy that engulfed the tragedy is also left well alone. Birthday is a story about grief, loss and guilt, and the overwhelming sense of helplessness that threatens to consume those touched by death. Ultimately, Lee pushes for a positive outcome, arguing that life – however brief it may be – should be celebrated, rather than mourned. But the lingering lack of catharsis, and justice, remains unaddressed. Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook