Alexa Ilacad and Ryrie Sophia in 'Mujigae'

Rainalyn (Anna Luna) raised her daughter Mujigae (Ryrie Sophia) alone when she was abandoned by her Korean husband Ji-sung (Kim Ji-soo). When Rainalyn passed away, 5 year-old Mujigae was brought back to the Philippines by her grandfather Emong (Richard Quan) to live with him. His other daughter Sunny (Alexa Ilacad) had bitter memories about how her mother and sister left her behind years ago, found it difficult to accept her. 

This film was directed by Randolph Longjas, whom I've known previously from "Ang Turkey Man ay Pabo Rin" (2013) and "Star Na Si Van Damme Stallone" (2017). "Mujigae" actually had elements from these two films -- inter-cultural marriage from the first film, and ideals of motherhood from the second. Longjas had proven before that he had a knack for telling family stories effectively mixing comedy and sentimentality, and he does it again here.

Longjas and screenwriter Mark Raywin Tome wisely addressed and resolved Sunny's abandonment issues early on, giving more time for the relationship between auntie and niece to develop more fruitfully. He was able to raise the common problem of husbands and wives separating from each other in order to earn more money for a brighter future overseas, and present the long-standing effects of this break-up on the children they left behind.   

Alexa Ilacad's Sunny may have a damaged relationship with her father, but she had plenty of support from her elders Lola Lina (Peewee O'Hara), Lola Chayong (Lui Manansala) and Lolo Ipe (Rolando Inocencio) and friends at work, Marla (Kate Alejandrino) and Sushmita (Donna Cariaga). Ilacad worked very well in the ensemble, creating an authentic communal atmosphere which made Sunny's emotions connect with the audience more effectively. 

Ryrie Sophia gave a very delightful lead performance as Mujigae, you'd never think this was her first feature film, and a title role at that. She was very fluent in delivering her lines in both Korean and Filipino, confidently trading lines with her veteran co-stars. Longjas was able to keep her from overdoing the cute routine, so that she never came across as annoying. She deserves more movie projects so that her promising acting talent can be further honed.

Kim Ji-soo (or simply Ji Soo) was a popular K-drama actor, best known in series like "Strong Woman Bong Soon" (2017). In 2021, he got involved in a bullying scandal which led to a derailment of his career. Lately, he has been picking up the pieces by guesting on Filipino TV series like "Black Rider," and now this film. He has not lost his touch in acting. His portrayal of the repentant absentee father Park Ji-sung was very sincere and touching. 

Overall, I liked the flow of the story, its cross-cultural focus and its well-timed emotional swell at the climax. I liked its generally positive and heartwarming tone, and how the characters were likable despite their flaws. A disappointing aspect of this film was its very dim lighting, particularly in the scenes shot inside Sunny's room and Emong's workshop. These scenes were so dark, we barely even saw the actors' faces, which was quite a shame.

This review was originally published in the author's blog, “Fred Said.”