Synopsis

Probably no one grows up without experiencing the thought of not being understood and being all alone in this world, burdened by one’s own depressing secrets that could never be shared with anyone else. *The Wonder Years* is a coming-of-age film which journeys into those times described as adolescence. Soo-ah, who just entered middle school, is a thirteen-year-old girl living with her mother, Young-joo, who runs a diner. The reality that surrounds her is too hard for the reserved Soo-ah to bear: her dad had passed away and her mother cannot give her the time of day as she is too busy making ends meet. To make matters worse, her attempt to get closer to a friend fails. One day after a big fight with her mother, Soo-ah leaves home for Seoul to meet a famous singer, Yoon Seol-young, who she believes is her real mom. At the age of thirteen, it is easier for Soo-ah to fantasize Yoon, a glittering star, as her mother than to accept her real mother along with her miserable reality. This film presents composed and in-depth insight on the pains of growing up. The delicate music by rock band Jawoorim effectively conveys the emotional currents of adolescence. (Hwang Hei-rim)​​

Director

• 
  • Kim Hee-jung
  • Born in 1970 in Seoul. Graduated from Seoul Arts College and the National Film School of Poland. She gained international recognition with short films *Portrait of Father* and *Meeting*, winning awards at festivals such as the Chicago Film Festival and Munich Film Festival. In 2001, she won the Wide Angle section at the Busan Film Festival with *Someday*. She was selected for the Cannes Film Festival's New Director Development Program, 'Résidence à Paris', where she completed *Thirteen-Year-Old Soo-ah*.