People and Meat

“Am I supposed to be invisible until I die?” says 72-year-old Baek Hwa-jin, who’s forever been selling vegetables on the street to put her ungrateful grandson through school. In the same Seoul neighbourhood, 80-year-old Hyeong-jun and 77-year-old U-sik are barely making a won selling cardboard for recycling. Fed up with being ignored and unable to afford meat, the trio decide to visit popular BBQ restaurants and do a runner before the bill arrives. The humour of oldsters committing petty crime for the first time in their law-abiding lives is neatly balanced with poignant reflections on what has brought each to this moment in life. This bittersweet gem tells universal truths and is beautifully performed.