Bittersweet Joke

Claiming to be “the first film to show the real lives and faces of unwed mothers and their children in Korea,” this well-intentioned effort from filmmaker Paik Yeonah nevertheless fails to quantify how South Korean society's treatment of single moms is markedly different from that in other places around the globe (even though the country is known for exporting babies for adoption worldwide). The young women whose stories are highlighted in Bittersweet Joke are bright, optimistic, funny, and opinionated, and they include activists in a nascent association established to fight for women's rights. But the documentary falls short in explaining what, exactly, are the obstacles they face, aside from social pressure expressed in various ways, such as families who no longer speak to them. One youthful mother's travails appear to consist of not being able to hail a taxi to accommodate her and a very large and colorful child's coupe (a tricycle with a cab). Despite taking on a topic worth exploring, the lack of context here makes this an optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (F. Gardner)