In this blog post, I’ll explain why I chose ‘Warang Sori’—the first documentary I ever watched alone in a movie theater—and summarize the film’s structure, themes, and my impressions.

 

Why I Chose This Film

Documentaries are a genre I often encounter in daily life and generally enjoy, but I rarely sought them out with the same interest I do for dramas. Then, I heard that “Warang Sori” had been released in theaters. I was a high school student at the time, and I remember going to the theater alone to watch this film for the very first time in my life. None of my close friends wanted to see it, so I went by myself.
Both then and now, I’ve always enjoyed stories featuring grandmothers and grandfathers. Those typical Korean elders who farm in the countryside and worry about their children’s meals—when I see their speech and gestures, their wrinkled faces and white hair, their sun-darkened skin, and their missing teeth, I feel inexplicably moved. I find myself respecting those elders who have lived through long years and raised their children. Since ‘The Sound of the Bell’ is the story of an old ox that spent thirty years with such a grandfather, I was curious about the plot itself and really enjoyed it.

 

Sequences of the Film

 

Prologue

It begins with a scene of the grandfather touching the bell, honoring and missing his deceased ox. There is almost no dialogue and no interviews, but a great deal of emotion is conveyed through the touch of his hands and his expression.

 

Sequence 1

This sequence shows the deep bond between the ox and the grandfather. We see their daily life together—the grandfather, the grandmother, and the ox—and scenes of them doing farm work while riding a cart pulled by the old ox. When someone tells him the cow won’t even live a year, he goes to the livestock market and buys a new one, but his reluctance to sell the old cow is evident. He continues to feed the old cow well and work alongside it.

 

Sequence 2

The love between the ailing grandfather and grandmother, and their affection for the old cow, continues. There is a scene where a portrait is taken, and despite the urging of those around them and the grandmother, the grandfather refuses to sell the old cow. The film captures the grandmother’s jealousy toward the cow, as well as the image of the grandfather and the cow growing old together.

 

Sequence 3

The children visit and urge him to sell the cow. Nevertheless, the grandfather refuses to sell it, working hard and sacrificing himself for the cow. He goes to the livestock market to sell the cow, but the seller demands an exorbitant price that the grandfather cannot possibly accept, so he eventually returns home with the cow.

 

Sequence 4

The ox’s death approaches. The ox, which had continued to work alongside the grandfather despite its ailing body, nears the end of its life, and the scene shifts to the grandfather, who is deeply troubled and heartbroken. After the ox dies, the grandfather builds a grave for it. As the seasons change, the grandfather’s health deteriorates, and he takes to his bed. The film concludes with a final shot of the grandfather, longing for his old ox.

 

The Film and Its Theme

This film captures everyday life as it is, without embellishment or staging, and its familiarity creates a profound emotional impact. The screen is filled with candid conversations, as if we were watching our own parents, and it is precisely these unadorned words that resonate deeply.
To the grandfather, the cow is more than just a friend—it is a special being. The portrayal of a long-standing friendship between a human and an animal, living side by side, deeply moves those in our harsh modern society who struggle to find a place to call home. The love and trust the grandfather shows toward his 30-year-old companion are the central messages conveyed by this documentary.

 

Review

For the old cow he has raised for nearly 40 years, the grandfather has always gathered grass, and he refrains from using pesticides on his crops for fear that the cow might eat them and fall ill. Small gestures, such as picking dandelions growing on a hillside to feed the cow, reveal the grandfather’s deep affection. In return, the cow silently pulls the cart with its ailing, sluggish body.
The story opens with a scene of the cart carrying the grandfather traveling down the road; even without any narration or interviews, an unbreakable bond was palpable between the cow and the grandfather. The laborious steps the cow took with every pull of the cart were heartbreaking. The ox has been pulling the cart for over 30 years, and no human could ever do that for another person for 30 years. For the old man’s ox, those 30 years were its entire life, and the ox worked silently for the old man its whole life. That’s why I felt I could understand, at least a little, why the old man said, “An ox is better than a person.”
The sound of the cowbell ringing intermittently was so pleasant. At some point, the sound of the cowbell began to remind me of the old ox and the old man, and I felt a sense of peace wash over me. Another pleasant sound was the grandmother’s nagging; for some reason, that nagging felt like a manifestation of her love for the old man.
I can’t help but feel that the lives of the old ox and Grandpa are similar. It’s a truly wonderful bond, and I’m sure many people have been moved by their friendship. Of course, I’m one of them.