“Two Worlds: One Way Home”

The Way Home" (2002) is a story about a child and his grandmother who live on a
different side of the world. A seven-year-old, Sang Woo is taken to the Korean countryside to
stay with his grandmother. Sang Woo is a spoiled city boy was has better electricity and better
running water in the city, while in the countryside was have poor electricity and no running water
and does not have expensive food or things. The effects of globalization in this movie are
evident when some scenarios are presented and talk about how globalization differs between
the life of a traditional one and a modernized child.

"The Way Home" (2002) shows the effects of globalization on many aspects of life. It
shows the story of Sang Woo, who spends time in the city before returning to the rural areas
with his grandmother. That journey examines how globalization has influenced urbanization and
migration, changing how people live in cities and travel between locations. However, the film
shows the importance of maintaining traditional values and remaining connected to our heritage.
It signifies that, while globalization has brought about new developments, it may have forgotten
the significance of our cultural legacy and community relationships. One can argue that
globalization has gone too far, especially in the context of Sang Woo’s life in the city. The film
portrays a fast-paced urban existence that is marked by materialism and a lack of interpersonal
relationships. The film also shows how Sang Woo’s life changed because of the life he used to
have in the city. Hence, it leads us in the wrong direction given that children nowadays keep
forgetting how to live a life without the newly invented things brought by globalization. Children
are becoming more dependent on the changes we have experiencing which is why they keep
on relying on them while disregarding the traditional and old ones. This can lead to the wrong
direction especially if we use globalization too much and if we use it improperly. Also, not every
person in the world is affected and receiving the benefits of globalization just like in the movie
where the Sang Woo and his grandmother did not get along because they were raised in
different societies; one grew up in the city, which is very modern, and one grew old in the
province, where there is not much affected by globalization and still staying to the old traditions
and beliefs they have. Due to the conflict between Sang Woo and his grandmother, there will be
an improper interaction, which will result in a loss of respect for his grandmother, and the old
traditions and beliefs will also be ignored.

Furthermore, there are several examples or scenarios from the movie in which
globalization is tapped and these are the following:
-Sang Woo's mother working in the city shows how people from rural areas move to
cities in search of employment opportunities.
-The film also shows the relationship between modernity and tradition through Sang-
woo's early rejection of rural life. This shows how global urban culture differs from traditional
rural beliefs.
-The appearance of products such as the Game Boy in the rural area shows the impact
of global consumer culture on the movie. This shows how global consumption culture
penetrates even distant areas.
-Sang Woo’s grandmother's determination and ability to care for him demonstrate the
strength of traditional values in the face of current challenges posed by globalization. This
shows that, despite globalization, traditional values may remain important.

The film suggests that despite the new advances brought about by globalization, people
like Sang Woo forget the importance of maintaining traditional values. "The Way Home"
(Jibeuro) provides important insights into how globalization affects rural communities, family
dynamics, and traditional beliefs. In the film, Sang Woo’s exposure to technology such as his
gadgets contrasts with his grandmother’s simple way of living. Sang Woo’s luxurious urban
lifestyle and his grandmother's limited means highlight the inequalities that are made by
globalization. Like how he prefers to eat Kentucky chicken than to eat what his grandmother
prepared for him. The film connects to the viewer and provides insightful perspectives on what
we humans experience amidst globalization.

However, things might be in the wrong way due to globalization but it also leads the
characters to live a life in a manner of surviving where they migrate to a different place to find a
stable job. Moreover, people can also exchange commodities to afford/avail the things they
need the most. To sum it up, this movie portrays how globalization changes the traditional living
we have and it made us realize how pure, genuine, and simple our life is without globalization. It
may look too difficult to live with it but as time passes by we are improving with the help of
globalization yet we still look back on how these circumstances helped us and how reliable
traditional living is when we are not accepted in urban and globalized areas. Both are significant
and relevant for many people, some may live in traditional living and some may find change in
modernized cities, both are helpful for people which is why we must find our way to not only
focus on one side of our real words. We must always consider how one became the origin and
face of our identities and how the other makes us what we are today. Two worlds, different ways
of living, and one way home to where we used to be; our origin, our identity, our family.