(Movie Review) 'Number One' counts down life's most ordinary moments

▲ Eun-sil (Jang Hye-jin) and Ha-min (Choi Woo-shik) argue in this still from "Number One," provided by By4M Studio. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ Ha-min (Choi Woo-shik) cooks in this still from "Number One," provided by By4M Studio. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This still image provided by By4M Studio shows Jang Hye-jin (R) and Choi Woo-shik playing a mother-son duo again in "Number One," after the Oscar-winning "Parasite." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(Movie Review) Number One

(Movie Review) 'Number One' counts down life's most ordinary moments

By Woo Jae-yeon

SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- Ha-min (Choi Woo-shik) in the fantasy drama film "Number One" wakes up one day with a horrifying new ability: he can see a glowing number appearing before his eyes that decreases by one each time he eats a meal cooked by his mother Eun-sil (Jang Hye-jin).

The first time it happens is at a tearful meal following his older brother's funeral. Ha-min has just lashed out at Eun-sil -- first for making him eat when he can barely swallow through his grief. But then the real accusation spills out: he blames her for insisting his brother stay for breakfast that morning. If she hadn't, he says bitterly, his brother might have missed the crash entirely.

Later, his dead father appears in a dream with a grim warning: the number indicates how many meals Eun-sil has left to cook for Ha-min. When the number reaches zero, she will die, his father says.

Following the dream, Ha-min tries his best to avoid eating his mother's cooking entirely, making lame excuses and secretly dumping lunch boxes. He ultimately moves to Seoul from Busan, a southeast port city where he grew up, getting a job there. The cruel irony is that he must stay away from his mother to keep her alive.

Totally unaware of why her only son avoids her, Eun-sil takes the train to Seoul carrying boxes of banchan, or side dishes, only to find Ha-min pushing her away with another excuse each time.

Directed by Kim Tae-yong, the film is quiet and unpretentious, offering the kind of warmth that a mother's home-cooked meal can provide. It is based on Sora Uwano's Japanese novel "The Number of Times You Can Eat Your Mother's Cooking is 328," which explores universal themes of motherly love, family bonds and the value of everyday moments.

The director previously helmed the 2014 independent hit "Set Me Free," winning the best new director award at the 36th Blue Dragon Film Awards, while launching Choi Woo-shik's career as a leading film actor.

"Number One," marking their first collaboration in a decade, takes a remarkably uplifting approach to heavy themes -- the inevitability of death and the heartbreaking truth that life's simple and everyday moments are fleeting.

Playing mother and son for the second time after the Oscar-winning "Parasite," Choi and Jang deliver performances that take their on-screen relationship to a profoundly deeper emotional level.

A Busan native, the actress embodies her role effortlessly, capturing the city's vibrant energy and distinct dialect and adding layers of authenticity to the film.

The film's universal messages are certain to strike a chord with audiences, stirring memories of their own mothers and the fleeting ordinary moments they still have to cherish. It serves as a reminder that those moments are numbered, so deeply precious.

Driving home its message until the very end, the movie closes with family photos that capture life's simple joys, while posing a poignant question: how many more meals do you have left to share with your parents?

"Number One" is set for release next Wednesday.

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