There are a lot of acting veterans who probably wish they could give a performance as unforced and as natural as that given by youngster Hee-yeon Kim in the drama "Treeless Mountain."
In fact, she and her even-younger co-star, Song-hee Kim, both seem very relaxed in front of the camera.
Whatever magic filmmaker So Yong Kim used to get the two girls to feel so at ease, you wish she would have used a little of that on the rest of the film as well. While it is a fairly realistic and no-frills drama, it's also dull.
That's to be expected when you're making a film about someone's humdrum existence. Unfortunately, watching it becomes a little humdrum as a result.
"Treeless Mountain" follows two sisters, Jin and Bin, played by Hee-yeon and Song-hee, respectively.
Their mother (Soo Ah Lee) has left them in the care of relatives while she tries to track down their deadbeat father.
Meanwhile, the two girls become distraught. That only worsens when the alcoholic aunt (Mi Hyong Kim) decides she can't take care of them and drops them off at the family farm.
As you can probably tell, this material is very downbeat, and the somewhat indulgent pacing is sure to test the patience of some audiences.
Screenwriter/director Kim (2006's "In Between Days") is clearly trying to stress realism here. But it would help if the two girls did more than just wander the streets and torture bugs.
Still, there's no arguing with the performances. If either — or both — of these young actresses decide to make acting a full-time profession, they'll be terrific. (By the way, the filmmaker is no relation to either of her stars, despite the similarity in their names.)
"Treeless Mountain" is not rated but would probably receive a PG for some crude references to bodily functions, derogatory language and slurs, brief violent content (insect killing and some childhood roughhousing) and brief drug references (prescription medications). Running time: 89 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com