Mayonnaise (1999 Film)

Mayonnaise (Korean: 마요네즈; RR: Mayonejeu) is a 1999 South Korean drama film directed by Yoon In-Ho. The film centers on the complicated interpersonal dynamics between a daughter and her mother, using the titular condiment as a recurring motif that symbolizes their strained history.

Plot

Ah-jung is a woman in her mid-30s working as a ghostwriter for biographies. Her life is disrupted when her husband leaves for a business trip, forcing her to host her mother in their home. The two share a difficult relationship, marked by the mother's meddlesome behavior and the daughter's long-standing resentment.

A specific point of contention is the mother's habit of applying mayonnaise to her hair as a beauty treatment. For Ah-jung, this act serves as a bitter reminder of her mother's perceived vanity, which she recalls even from the time of her father's death. As the mother's stay continues, the tension between the two women escalates. The conflict reaches a turning point when Ah-jung discovers her mother collapsed in the bathroom while attempting to apply the mayonnaise. Following this incident, Ah-jung attempts to distance herself, only to eventually confront the realization that she shares many of her mother's traits.

Cast

• Choi Jin-Shil as the daughter (Ah-jung)
• Kim Hye-Ja as the mother
• Kim Sung-Kyum as the father
• Kim Yu-Seok
• Ryoo Hyoun-Kyoung
• Yoo-Sun
• Moon Hee-Won as the chief editor
• Won Mi-Won as the insurance agent