Original subtitles

(January 2007, Cheongnyang Temple, Bonghwa)

Come on. Hurry up.

My leg hurts.

It's hurting again? Oh dear.

Do you miss the old ox?

What?

Do you feel sorry for the ox? Do you miss it?

Of course I do. The poor thing is dead.

But we all die, so why talk about it?

(Old Partner)

Two years earlier)

(April 2005, Bonghwa, Gyeongsang Province)

(Choi Won-Kyun, 80, farmer)

Drink up.

Not too much.

I said don't give it too much.

But he's drinking it just fine.

Too much alcohol isn't good.

I heard it's OK to give them up to 12 ounces of rice wine.

(Lee Sam-Soon, Choi's wife)

Pour it straight into its mouth.

Someone once killed an ox feeding it wine because it wouldn't eat.

They had to bury it. Don't you kill my ox.

(Hanool Village, Bonghwa)

Hello.

Your ox fell down?

Yes, yesterday.

How is it now?

It won't eat and it has diarrhoea.

It knows it has to move over when a car comes.

It knows when a car is coming.

Does it?

Goodness, he's really old.

- This ox... - Yes.

- This ox... - Yes?

- You see its horns here? - Yes.

It's so old we cut its horns a few times.

- Did you? - A good few times.

It's very old.

- It's about 40. - Yes, it's about 40.

This ox doesn't have long to live.

It'll never get sick.

It won't live much longer?

It'll live much longer.

- It really will? - Yes.

How many years?

One year.

How many more years?

One year.

My ox?

It'll only live one more year?

Oh dear, that's bad news.

What'll we do when it dies next year?

The ox...

You worked it to death.

I did not.

(Eight months later)

(Cattle market, Yeongju)

Where are the work oxen?

The work oxen?

Do we have any work oxen?

- Are there any work oxen? - What?

- Any work oxen? - No.

No work oxen these days.

He bought a handsome cow.

He did. It's a beauty.

Why did you buy this?

To help me farm.

Instead of that one?

So you'll try to train this one?

I'll see if I can.

You bought a nice cow?

Only if it pulls its weight.

Is it with calf?

- It is. - It is.

About five months pregnant, I think.

Just leave it in the cowshed.

The old ox?

No. It has to stay in the yard.

- My goodness. - Move.

Out.

Out!

This is your new home.

You have to work for us now.

So eat up.

You're with calf, so you have to eat well.

Won-Kyun.

What will you do with the old ox?

We keep it, of course. Until it dies.

We can't do that. I can't feed two heads of cattle.

Once the cow is tame,

we get rid of the ox. It's not worth the hard work.

How can we feed it?

You're taking the sick ox to the field?

Rain or shine, he makes the ox take him to the field.

It's a good thing that poor ox can't talk.

If it could it would curse and refuse to go.

The poor thing.

This ox...

It pulled me and my cart for 30 years.

If it were human, if it were me, I'd have killed myself.

Or been beaten to death for disobeying.

This beast can't talk.

But he's more of a friend than any human being.

My leg hurts.

It hurts here?

Yes.

How can you go on farming when your leg hurts so much?

My old husband can't do anything without this ox.

He can't walk properly.

His left leg is too weak.

He had acupuncture as a kid, but his tendons shrivelled up.

Even though he has to crawl because of his bad leg,

he went on farming with this old ox.

That's how we raised our nine children.

He would've died long ago if it weren't for the ox.

This ox fed and clothed us.

It's good and bad.

It's a heifer.

The cow had a girl.

Bull calves are worth much more.

Let me touch it.

Such a fuss over a little heifer.

(4AM)

Get up.

Wake up.

Is that enough?

Poor old me.

It would be easier to buy cattle feed, but he won't.

We have to make this gruel every morning.

But it's so inefficient. It's so much hard work.

Goodness.

He'll be the death of that ox.

I'm afraid the ox might collapse.

Or die, maybe.

Why keep working when it is so tired?

Won-Kyun!

Why don't we just get one of those machines too?

He insists on farming this way when I do all the work.

Let's get a machine.

Why won't you answer?

Huh?

So exasperating.

What now?

Why are you picking dandelions?

For the ox.

I'm the one slaving away here and you care more about the ox?

I do all the work while that thing eats.

He's terrible, that old man.

He's sharpening his sickle again.

Whoa whoa.

Why stop?

Oh dear.

Everyone else sprays pesticides, but he never does, not even once.

I married the wrong guy.

I work like this all day.

Let's spray some pesticides.

Pesticides mean less work.

Why won't you answer? Huh?

Goodness.

Trees at least move in the wind. He ignores me.

I'll stop farming when he dies.

- Oh dear. - What now?

I need to cut fodder for the ox.

There's fodder everywhere.

He's going over there when he can barely walk.

Poor me.

He always goes off to cut some fodder.

All these weeds and bugs, but he never sprays pesticides.

What good is a husband like him?

I'm the one who does all the work.

Will you ever spray pesticides? Huh?

I can't hear you.

Pesticides will kill the ox.

So why keep bringing that up?

But without any pesticides, the bugs eat everything we grow.

So you'd rather kill our ox?

Oh, goodness...

Then we can feed it cattle feed, OK?

No.

Then what'll we do?

We can't stop working because it's hard.

Cows that eat cattle feed get too fat to bear calves.

You know nothing.

Oh dear.

All he cares about is that stupid ox.

That ox met the best master ever, don't you think?

I'm the unlucky one here.

He's always doing something for that ox.

But never anything for me.

Never anything for me.

He never buys medicine even when I'm sick.

He just puts me to work.

Go on.

Goodness. Life is so tough.

I've worked hard all my life, I can't even stand up straight.

I have no teeth, but he won't take me to the dentist.

And I feel dizzy in the mornings.

No pills work now.

I guess my time is up.

What should I do?

You won't answer?

May I please have your attention?

Starting from 1PM, we'll cut the grass around the neighbourhood.

Please come out to help. Please bring your tools.

The horn never stops growing. So they had to cut it.

This ox saved him a lot of money, to be honest.

It's like he has an extra son. A son that never lets you down.

- Better than Young-Do. - Huh?

- Better than his son. - Don't say that.

If his son hears that, he'll beat you to a pulp.

The ox met a great master, and the master a great ox.

I'm going to die when it dies.

- Together? With the ox? - Yeah.

What if it dies before you do? Will you hold a funeral for it?

- I will. - He will.

I'll be the chief mourner.

I'll die when this ox dies.

It's the reason I'm still alive.

The poor thing.

Where has he gone? To cut more fodder?

That ox and me.

We're two very unlucky souls.

He's working us to the bone.

We're both so terribly skinny.

Look at you.

Poor thing.

This ox...

It slaves away for the young cow.

The new cow at home eats so much.

The poor thing has to bring home all the fodder.

It has so much more work to do.

Out.

Go to your mom.

Don't bother the old ox.

Out.

Even if I tie the calf down, it always ends up next to the ox.

Unless it's to suckle.

Only then does it go to its mother.

No.

We have to catch it before it runs away.

No, no!

Let's go. Go!

I'm worried.

The cowshed is falling apart.

And the heifer keeps escaping.

What if it gets out and tramples all over our neighbour�s watermelons?

What'll you do then?

Due to the four-day storm, 45,000 households lost power,

with 20,000 of them still waiting for it to be restored.

My head hurts.

Does it hurt a lot?

Shall we visit the doctor?

Or not?

Oh dear.

Poor man.

He's nearly deaf.

And now he's sick too.

My head...

He just had to keep on working.

We have no money saved up.

No photos for our funeral either.

So much trouble.

Does it hurt a lot?

Goodness...

It's best to die without any suffering.

But then I wonder how I'll live without him.

Huh?

Can I live here alone without you?

I can't live with my kids, they won't want me.

Who'd want to live with me? None of them will.

I can't live with them.

I'd rather die than tiptoe around them.

(Downtown Bonghwa)

NO to importing mad cows from the USA!

- Stop the FTA negotiations! - Stop! Stop!

Mad cows from the USA threaten our health!

The Yanks are crazy, let's protect our native breed!

Protect them! Protect them! Protect them!

NO to importing mad cows without a national consensus!

No! No!

(Neurology)

What seems to be the trouble?

- His head aches. - OK.

It's gotten worse.

But I have to work.

Work?

Sir, I think that we have to scan your head first.

And your blood pressure is high. You have high blood pressure.

If you don't stop working now,

you might have a stroke or a brain haemorrhage.

Although those two are the same things.

Your eyesight will worsen and your kidneys might fail too.

Even worse, you could have a heart attack.

You know, a heart attack can kill you.

So sir, you have to stop working.

Look over here.

Sir, tilt your head a bit. Good.

A big smile. Smile for me, sir.

- Smile! - Smile.

One, two, three.

One, smile.

One, two, three.

Smile, sir.

One, two, three.

You're sick. Just stop farming.

What?

Why don't you stop farming?

But I have to work.

I have to keep working for as long as I can.

I'll stop when I die.

As long as I'm alive, I must work.

Until I die.

Nowadays, he's so sick his head is always hurting.

But he still works every day.

Even when the doctor says no, he'd rather die in the field working.

A long time ago, he worked as a farmhand for eight years.

Farmhands work from dawn until late at night every day.

He still has that habit, so he just can't rest.

After he eats, he goes back to work.

I can't stop him. I just let him be.

What can I do?

Ow, it hurts.

It hurts.

Are you in pain?

Where's the calf?

Where did the calf go?

Catch it, catch it.

It went over there.

Follow it.

We should sell that calf. There's no way we can feed it.

Sell the calf. Just sell it.

You have to. It's just too crazy.

2... 7... 8... 9.

Is this the cattle dealer?

I have a calf to sell.

Yes.

How old is the calf?

- Three months old. - Three months?

It's a heifer, not a bull calf.

Cows have this sickness called brucellosis.

People prefer bull calves to heifers these days.

It has to be this big at least. Your calf is just too small.

Hah.

It's not a very healthy calf.

All cattle dealers say that when they want to buy cattle.

Then I won't sell it.

Sell it.

$2,000, OK?

- Do you want $100 more? - I won't sell.

How much do you want?

You always say you won't sell.

Take what he offers. We can't afford to feed the thing.

How much do you want?

I won't sell.

We're importing beef now, so cattle prices won't go any higher.

- How much? - $2,100.

No deal.

Sell it!

- Sell it. - I won't.

Wait, sir, sell it.

I said no.

You want even more for it?

I wouldn't even sell it for $2,500.

Cattle prices have dropped, sir.

Or I'd have given you $3,000 for it.

It's the market price.

The government has decided to resume importing US beef.

Prices are falling as more cattle are available for sale.

And breeders are trying to offload even more cattle supply.

Goodness...

We need to spray insecticides to protect this year's harvest.

But he won't for the ox's sake.

So the insects eat everything.

What will be left for us to eat?

Goodness, poor old me.

Some women get to marry a healthy young guy like him.

And they spray pesticides too.

My old man doesn't care about our crops or vegetables at all.

All he does is feed that blasted ox.

I'd rather that ox die soon. My life would be so much easier.

How much longer will it live?

I have to go on slaving away because I have to do what my old man can't.

That darn ox.

When will I ever get a break?

Is the ox THAT precious?

More than our peppers?

Of course it is. The peppers won't sell for much at all.

But the ox is so old.

Old oxen don't sell for much either.

But the peppers are the last batch of the season, so they're worth more.

Hurry up.

It's going to rain. Get moving.

That stupid ox.

It can't even walk properly now.

Look, it's about to fall over again.

Rein it in.

Why won't you do as I say?

Huh?

Get off.

- My goodness. - Shut your mouth.

He doesn't care for me.

I'm just so sick of this life.

Life would be easier without that ox.

I'm sick of this.

I bet I'm the most overworked person in all of Korea.

Life would be so much better without that ox.

Hurry up.

Oh, brother. Just my luck. I had to marry a fool.

I was only 16 when I travelled 20 miles to come here to marry him.

Now my hair is all white,

and my face is wrinkled.

I never got to see any other part of the country.

Such is my luck.

I married the wrong man.

No one can stop time from moving on

Oh youth

My dear youth

Where have you gone?

Life is so tough.

And sad.

My head...

He's just about to drop dead.

Won-Kyun!

Sell the ox!

Sell what ox?

Why keep it when it's so much trouble? I do all the work, not you.

Will you stop talking like that?

Sell it.

I won't.

You won't?

You have to. You're sick and weak.

She's such a bother. My headache is worse now.

Sell the ox. It's too much hard work.

Dang.

This blasted ox.

Look at him beat that thing. As if it were me.

Let's hurry back!

(Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving Day)

- Mom. - Grandma!

Hello.

- Come on in. - Hello.

Was the traffic bearable?

We bought it when I was three or four, right?

The ox is my age.

It practically paid all our tuition fees.

It's worked for us all its life now.

It raised us and married us off, and now it's very old.

It's so skinny, I feel sorry for it.

I feel sorry for myself.

The ox eats all it wants to, but I never got to do that.

I won't have to feed that ox once my old man dies.

But my old man won't die. I have to keep on working.

Get your dad to sell the ox. It's too much trouble.

(Kim, daughter-in-law) He always has these headaches.

It's worrying us all sick.

He'll stop working if we sell the ox.

We must sell the ox.

Yes, only then will he stop working.

He keeps going to the field because he can.

Sir, will you sell the ox?

What?

The ox. It's time to sell it.

You keep working, which just makes you sick.

We're so worried we can't focus on our work.

Discussion's over. We're selling the old ox.

He has to.

Sell the ox.

Sell it, dad.

Sir, sell the ox now, OK?

I'd just love that.

Sell the ox.

We'll wire you money to live on.

It's time you rest, and stop working.

The kids want him to retire, but he won't listen to them.

He's so stubborn.

Ow, my head...

Why work when you're in pain?

Your stubbornness will kill you.

Hello, ma'am.

Hello to you too.

Your second son asked me to help you out with the harvest.

It feels great.

The machine gets it done in no time. I'd love a machine like that.

It's better to harvest by hand though.

We lose fewer grains when we harvest by hand.

- Who cares if we... - Machines waste so much grain.

So you want to harvest by hand? Is that what you'd rather do?

Send it to my kids. This is our last harvest.

We're too old to farm now, so we won't send anything next year.

We do this for our kids.

It's the best feeling ever to water a dry field and see your kids eat.

We can eat the leftovers.

Send those off.

Can I still cut fodder like this?

The wound looks pretty bad. I think you should stop working.

See the joint on your second toe?

The joint has been dislocated.

For quite some time already.

It happened too long ago for us to set it right now.

I told him not to work, but he sneaked out and hurt himself.

My goodness.

Eat up. It's your last day here.

I made extra. Why won't you eat?

Eat. You're not going to slaughter.

You and I both worked too hard.

Because of one old man.

He made you work every single day.

Be it rain or shine.

(Cattle market, Yeongju)

Sir, how old is this ox?

It's 40 years old.

40?

It's old, but it gets out of the way when a car approaches.

How much do you want for it?

$5,000.

$5,000? You'll never sell it at that price.

Its carcass isn't even worth $600.

No one will take it for free, even.

Will you sell it for $1,300?

Nothing under $5,000.

He wants nothing under $5,000.

What a jerk. How dare he say $600.

It's about to die any second.

$1,200?

$1,200?

I can only bargain if the price is right.

Won-Kyun.

- Sell it for $1,000. - I won't.

Some people won't even take it for free.

Don't take it if you don't want it.

You shouldn't try to sell this thing.

You're ruining our business here.

Don't get in my way.

Even its meat will be worthless.

It's not worth anything. Just give it away.

Go home. You're ruining our day too.

You couldn't sell it?

The ox?

The jerks kept bidding low, so I just left.

The poor thing.

It's like a son to him.

It's his karma, I think.

- He loves it so much. - It's a special ox.

Yeah, it's special.

I was on my way back from town one day.

And I fell asleep.

And it brought you home?

It dodged the cars, maybe even got stuck a few times.

But when I woke up, we were at home.

Wow, the ox took you all the way home.

Yeah.

Amazing. And strange.

Goodness.

I think I was cursed.

How will we feed that thing? It eats so much.

Whoa whoa whoa.

You blasted thing.

It's not going anywhere. It'll never learn to pull anything.

My head...

Oh dear.

Let's just sell it.

We just have to train it. We've done harder things.

Harder things like what?

Whoa.

- Goodness. - Whoa!

It's karma. Such terrible karma.

I guess I can't get rid of that thing unless my old man dies.

I guess it's our fate.

Goodness... What a life...

You blasted cow.

You got kicked out for not pulling your weight.

It won't work.

Hit it.

Hit it.

The radio's all beat up.

So is my old man.

Even the radio is dying.

(December 2006)

You.

Get up!

Get up!

Dang.

Get up!

The blasted...

Get up!

It just won't get up.

It won't get up.

This isn't good.

I can't get it to stand up.

Oh no...

It won't live long?

Not much longer. It's nearly time.

It'll die soon, very soon.

Any way to make it survive?

There's nothing we can do now.

- Nothing? - Nothing.

Sir.

You should brace yourself.

Say your goodbyes.

You worked so hard for us.

Go to a nicer place.

If only it would live a bit longer.

Why leave us behind?

It couldn't wait for us.

There's no other ox in Korea like our ox.

It was dying, but look at what it did.

It carried all the wood back so we wouldn't freeze this winter.

You poor old man.

You're always in so much pain.

I can't go on farming without you. If you die, I'll follow right behind.

This film is dedicated to all the oxen and fathers of this land...

who toiled to feed and clothe their children.