An out-of-nowhere box office smash in Korea, The Way Home's success is especially surprising given its low-key story and the complete absence of stars (or even professional actors) in its cast. It's a slight, sweet fable that shamelessly hits the right emotional buttons without becoming overly sentimental. The plot is fairly predictable once the premise is set: Seven-year-old Sang-woo (Yu Seung-ho) will eventually abandon his spoiled ways and return the kindness of his grandmother. It's just a question of when. As with Jafar Panahi's The White Balloon, each viewer's opinion of The Way Home will depend on how much tolerance they have for its young protagonist. The boy's brattiness is, fortunately, balanced by the extraordinary screen presence of 78-year-old Kim Eul-boon, who plays the grandmother. Not only had she never acted before, but she had never even seen a movie when she was picked for the part by director Lee Jeong-hyang. Stooped and wrinkled, Kim moves with a deliberate slowness that contrasts sharply with the hyperactivity of her guest. Her days, full of hard physical labor and endless chores against the breathtaking backdrop of the Korean countryside, establish the film's calm rhythm. Well-made and innocuous, The Way Home is pleasant but not particularly memorable.