Umma

There is little intriguing about the worn out premise, of the script, but there are still a few things to enjoy in this psychological melodrama. Sandra Oh gives a sturdy performance as the phobic isolationist on her California farm, and Dylan McDermott is a reliable co star. The traditional hanboks are beautiful.

But then there are the plot holes. What clingy Korean mother goes back to her country when he daughter is in the United States? How did a woman get married and have a child while never being around eléctricity? How did she go to school, afford a farm and learn to produce honey without electricity? Wouldn't Child Protective Services show up for a kid that has never ridden in a car?

Suspend all logic and you might enjoy the rest of the movie.

This ended up being a bland "horror" movie. My emphasis on horror is due to it not being what I consider horror but I watch a lot of horror and may be desensitized. For me, this was a pass the time movie.

Umma

A reasonable jump scare horror movie, they held back on the horror when they should have gone all out so that's a shame, what it could have been!

Sandra Oh held our attention as did the daughter, the acting was good overall but it was all quite derivative and predictable.

This is a weak 6 outta 10 from me, meaning it whiled an evening away and was what it was!

What happened? The first half of the movie was so solid, interesting story, good acting, beautiful cinematography, great chemistry between the two leads, then the second the daughter came out of the basement and questioned her mother, the dialogue became very clunky and unnatural.

We were then confronted with some very unscary CGI and all the promise the film once held just fizzled away.

There was definitely a much better film in here somewhere. Such a shame.

Umma can be an interesting study of motherhood and generational trauma with a dash of a touch of folk horror. After a promising start, alas Iris K. Shim is unable to maintain the tension or the emotional aspect it's direly in need throughout the rest of the film. In the end, it presented a rather dull, if not bland, third act.