Fleshed out characters and powerful storyline in just short film
I started the film with just the sketchy synopsis, but was immediately reeled in with the storyline.I like how the conflict was immediately shown when the two main characters were introduced. The writer and director did not waste precious minutes in fleshing out the characters and showing their motivations in the film. On first watch, it is seemingly a slice of life film and has a happy ending, but on the second watch, I grasped the feelings interspersed with the somber music (or lack of it) in the last few minutes of the end. The adopted son labeled himself a "nobody," and was desperately longing to have a family or at least a place to call home (as presented by him saying he will not leave), and with those things as his goal, he became the glue to the family. He became the son that was lost, the protector and the lover.
I think he don't love the older brother, but instead offered himself to fill what the older brother need.
oops! I rambled again.
Ultimately, I love this short film and wish to someday see this one be made into a longer film or a series.
Was this review helpful to you?
1This review may contain spoilers
Interesting to Speculate on
I love reading peoples thoughts and saw some here, speculating on what Sung Kyu (the adopted brother) felt especially during the ending scene where his smile disappears. So I decided to give my own two cents. In the beginning it felt like it was already shown to me that Sung Kyu was pretty apathetic and didn't necessarily feel strongly towards acting a specific way to be liked. Barely being able to choke out the words 'it's delicious......... mom'. He wasn't shown trying to connect with Sung woo other than randomly picking him up at school once either.The first time Sung Kyu shows assertiveness is when the shower scene happens. Because of this detail I didn't feel like he tried to appease Sung woo like someone else did. (which is why I like seeing other peoples perspective since it can be so different!)
I also don't think it was suppose to be about sexuality at all and whether or not Sung Kyu is attracted to men in general. For me this was more an exploration on how Sung Kyu didn't really feel anything and therefore tried to fill the emptiness within him with a new family and the shower scene mostly to me looked like 2 very empty and emotionally tired people that desperately needed to feel 'something', just anything. But just like most one night stands, it didn't fix the initial problem, that Sung Kyu felt a loss of identity and therefore remained apathetic after not being able to find it with his new family either.
Thinking back, Everyone in this movie seemed to fill up the emptiness with something, The mother keeps filling the emptiness the loss of her son caused her, by adopting multiple people. Sung Woo seems to fill up his emptiness coming from a broken home with physical affection from a significant other. And Sung Kyu as a grown man being adopted into a new family with a new identity because he feels like a nobody.
Was this review helpful to you?
Decent film
A psychologically-scarred family keeps adopting children by the name of Sungkyu (or so I assumed).As short as the film was, it flowed pretty well. Anger, denial then acceptance was shown well.
The acting was all believable. The parents, the "brothers," the friend. The dialogue was believable, and I understood why each of the characters said or did what they did.
I don't remember the music at all, but I guess that just means that there weren't bad tracks, only fitting-but-forgettable ones.
I do wish the film was a few minutes longer to show the acceptance stage more, but the end was fitting.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Psychologically Intriguing. What Voids Can/Can't Be Filled?
Psychologically intriguing and emotionally haunting; a seemingly "happy" ending on the surface but in actuality very precarious as it was hollow. The story lingered in my mind and I really wish there was more of it.21 minutes long. The script and directing/editing was smartly done and to-the-point. Acting, cinematography, and music supported the storytelling well.
The 11th SungKyu wants a nice home and family so much that he stands in to fill the voids the other family members have. But he is a shell of a person himself, can HIS void be filled? Maybe over time, but we don't get a clear-cut answer, and that's why my thoughts on this short film keep percolating and drive me to dissect it.
It's well done and good for one watch if you're in the right mood for it.
SPECIFIC SPOILERS below!
... ... ...
I can easily understand SungKyu learning how to interact, and puting effort into play-acting, with the mentally fragmented mother (who can't accept that one of her real sons is gone).
I feel sad at his decision to be physically intimate with the brother, SungWoo, though. Sad for both of them because it seemed the result of individual desperation. Maybe they both end up being what the other needs and have a healthy future together, but that seems a fragile hope. More realistically, SungWoo may develop feelings while SungKyu's interest would remain in question; does he really care, or is he trying to fill his own void, or is he just maintaining his place in the family?
And whatever drove SungKyu in that scene, it doesn't seem to have given him much. The next morning, SungWoo feels accepted and is noticeably lighter and happier but the smile that SungKyu returns slides off when he's not being looked at, and his eyes remain vacant throughout. SungKyu said he was "nobody" and seemed to remain empty himself even as he filled in what the other family members needed.
For me, it's really hard to leave the story at that moment because I crave more emotional resolution, so I likely won't re-watch. I am glad I saw it once though.
I found Bearr's MDL review good and insightful too.
Was this review helpful to you?
The Sun family was broken ever since the eldest son disappeared. This short did not go into the details of how, when and why but straight to the effect of the disappearance. The mother suffers from mental health issue, the father left the family but tries to search for an adopted replacement son to fill the void. The younger son is deprived of a complete family and has to deal with 11 adopted brothers.
The adoption of the 11th brother is the center of this story. How does each family member react to him being a part of the family? Will he fit in? What does he really want? Does his action convey his true feelings? In that very last scene, I question his emotion, sincerity and approach to the younger brother. Was he desperate as well and wanted to fill the void of his loneliness? Was he being manipulative to appease the younger brother, so that he could stay longer in the family (as that's what he really wanted)? We would never know.
Rating this an 8.0 seems high but it's a low budget production, so should the rating and expectation should probably be adjusted accordingly. Besides, this short is able to tell a decent story in 21 minutes and make me think a little. I also feel that the male lead/younger brother's acting is pretty good.
Completed: 5/24/2025 - Review #580
Was this review helpful to you?
Twisted family, twisted relationships
This short movie managed to do a lot over the course of 21 minutes. The story in itself was intriguing with the "eleventh" brother of a really dysfonctional family. I think there is enough content in this interesting premise to make a full fleshed series or movie about it. There is for sure definitely a part of me that wish it would have been longer, even if I like the grey area and the flow of thoughts the ending left me with.Casting was alright, nothing outstanding if I'm honest but nothing too detrimental to the story itself as well. The production felt of course super indie and the music did not leave me a strong lasting impression as it was pretty much absent from the movie.
I would recommend this to people that enjoy short movie and psychological titles. Far from being a classic BL romance, it is more about mystery and dysfunctional family and worth 21 minutes of time despite its flaws.
Was this review helpful to you?
Why so ambiguous
You know when you start a thought provoking book or series and you started connecting the dots to reach the final conclusion or see the bigger picture... this was meant to be one of those movies but apparently they hid too many puzzle parts that you don't know what is the picture you are trying to see.I loved this short movie, however, I don't know why did they made it so ambiguous, what's so secretive about it, would a small hint here and there hurts??
Also I see everyone keep writing their take on SungKyu while all the mystery IMO revolves around SungWoo, he isn't a simple gay guy, there is something about his identity that would "chase his BF away if known" I don't think a family secret would need this much seriousness.
It could be but how would I know for sure? That's the problem with this movie, if you are an overthinker then my dear you will suffer trying to make sense of it all.
It's pretty clear story on the outside but the more you look into the details aka hints that the director thought needed to be shown in this micro 21 mins only movie, the more confused you get, like young SungWoo photo in a karate/taekwondo uniform and the trophy. The conversation between SungWoo and his BF before they breakup and so on...
My take on all that -which gave me peace - the dysfunctional family needed a child, and SungKyu needed a stable home away from his past, as the father has hinted that his group of friends he used to hang around them are probably in trouble, he played his role fitting in to all of the family needs, the dad wanted peace for his wife, the mother got her child back, and SungWoo got the person that won't ever leave him like his father or his brother.
What I wanted to know is, SungKyu past he's been running from, SungWoo secret, and how did SungKyu knew about SungWoo sexuality ...
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
this was too short & it felt like there were areas that needed more exploration / light for this to maybe be really good. this was ok & had potential, the acting was good - so bummer.1st off everyone assuming An Sung Woo was the older brother, i don't think so - either way what happened to the other 10 boys that were adopted?!? was the mothers mental issues too much to handle?! wont blame them considering the husband/father wasn't ready to stick around & left his sick wife for his young son to handle. & that would also explain An Sung Woo's automatic animosity towards Lim Ji Hoon, why play nice with someone that wont stick around?!? no need to put on an act when they were alone - that's why he told him to do it in front of mother.... cause they were all putting on an act for her mental health. that's also the reason for all the adoptions.
given An Sung Woo's family situation i aint shocked he wasn't ready to dump that baggage on Jae Min, maybe fearing he would run like his own father did. while Jae Min wanted that they share more then physical intimacy. ironic that avoiding telling him about his family, still made Jae Min leave.
given what Sung Kyu's Father told Lim Ji Hoon at the door makes me wonder what problems did he have in his previous home? orphanage?!? did he know that Lim Ji Hoon was gay? were the 'boys' he mentioned, Lim Ji Hoon's ex-partners that got caught? or were they bullies, that found out his secret & were causing him trouble?!? can guess at his life before coming to the An household, but his 'clocking' Sung Woo made it clear that it was the case of 'it took one to know one' - think even Sung Woo figure this out.
given Ji Hoon's age (that means u usually don't get adopted) i aint shocked that he was ready to do anything to stay in that house in-spite of the mental issues of one & the animosity of the other. but i guess other then realizing Sung Woo was gay, he was also attracted to him. but then i wonder what was that look about when Sung Woo kissed him before leaving for school?!? that look left me wondering, did he pull Sung Woo into the shower cause he felt the mutual attraction ,or he could use that to stay in that house? but it didn't look like Sung Woo was gonna try & push him out, he needed someone to shoulder the burden that was his mother. like i said this needed more.... so i could really enjoy what i watched. it was ok on a whole but one off
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Can we ask for more?
The concept was original and interesting, it leads to darker tones.Developing it a series or a longer film would allow the main characters to develop or we could understand better their past and their thoughts.
SungWoo is an interesting character, with a devastating family history. If the new boy is the 11th, SungWoo probably repeated the brother reunion act many times. I understand his want to stay out from home.
The dad is interesting too. He obviously is selfish, leaving his son with the desolate pieces of his wife, but he kept looking for actors?, boys grown up in orphanage?, whoever wants a family?, to play the part of the brother that came back. Where did he go (or why) is not known.
SungKyu is the most difficult to understand, hence the ask for a longer version. If I get his crave for a family and a mom, it's interesting how he relates with SungWoo. I'd have done everything to make him like me, while SungKyu even threaten to out him to his parents. Apparently he's attracted by SungWoo too (they have an extraordinary sexual tension is such a short time), but the end left us wondering. He's a nobody, okay. But why that painting, emotionless face in the last scene?
Was this review helpful to you?
It was good, but needed a bit more info.
This wasn't a bad film , they were able to tell a quite complicated story in just 20 minutes. But bacause this is such a complicated story, i would have like to see just a little bit more depth in the story and the characters.The was no music, only when he was listnening wit his headphones. Visuals were ok but not great.
The acting was good, i believed every character.
I recommend watching, it's only 20 minutes.
Was this review helpful to you?
Excellent family psychological drama
Twenty-one minutes are enough for South Korean screenwriter and film director Jang Young Seon to present and develop the conflicts of this family psychological drama that revolves around a dysfunctional family that has been trying for more than a decade to compensate for the loss of a child by adopting young people to replace it.With an intriguing plot, well-developed characters, music consistent with the conflicts raised, and a dark color palette, the short film 'My Eleventh Brother' (형이 돌아왔다), from 2016, begins when the family of high school student An Sung Woo (Kim Myung Kyu) arrives with the newly adopted An Sung Kyu (Lim Ji Hoon), a young man who also comes from a broken world, having spent his life in foster homes.
While Sung Kyu, who recognizes himself as a "nobody", searches for the family he longs for, Sung Woo searches for his place in the world. Both young people have a secret that they have preferred to hide from others: they are homosexuals.
The first thing that catches my attention is that the title of the short film refers not to the eleventh child of the family, but to the eleventh brother of the main protagonist. This tells us that what is intended to be highlighted is more than the relationship of the adopted young person with the family, it is the relationship of the newcomer with the son of the family, that is, with his brother.
The film tells how Sung Woo rejects Sung Kyu, as he surely could have despised others before him, until he discovers, in the midst of a premature antagonism, that between the two there are more reasons that unite them than those that can separate them.
This is how they eventually end up finding refuge in each other. But not only that, Sung Kyu will also manage to bring peace to the family, especially to the mother (Jung Soo Young). The scene of the mother and adopted son sharing games and laughter, which shows a change in the woman's depressive and sad personality, also demonstrates that Sung Kuy is the ideal missing member of the home.
Premiered at the Seoul Pride Film Festival 2016, 'My Eleventh Brother' is a short film with moving scenes, clear development and growth of the characters, which addresses themes such as coming of age, the search for love and happiness, psychological traumas and family relationships.
Despite its disturbing, at times suffocating atmosphere, 'My Eleventh Brother' leaves me with that momentum that makes you want more and more of the show. It's not boring at all, and every scene is suspenseful and will keep you on edge worrying about what will happen next to keep you completely pleased.
Was this review helpful to you?
