On March 18, 2022, a PG-13 horror-film directed by Iris Shim released. The translation of this movie’s title, Umma, from Korean to English is “Mother.” This newly released movie follows the story of a mother named Amanda who is given her mother’s remains from Korea. Amanda lives with her daughter in a rural area raising bees. When the remains of Amanda’s mother arrive, Amanda fears that her mother’s evil spirit will try to capture her body.

This film stars Sandra Oh, a Canadian-American actress featured in multiple popular shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, Arliss, and recently released Turning Red, voicing Ming Lee. She has won countless awards for her performances including two Genie Awards for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. In Umma, Oh plays the protagonist, Amanda, who is the mother of Chris. In this movie, she has to face her mother’s callous spirit that was released from the remains of her body.

Iris Shim excelled at producing the horror scenes in Umma. The suspense from the dark backgrounds, and eerie music makes the film all that more exciting. Given the remains of her mother, Amanda finds herself anxious about the body. With her mother’s spirit trying to capture her, Amanda still has a daughter to raise. The ghost of her mother will surprisingly shock her at terrifying moments. The horror is intensified knowing that only Amanda and her daughter live on the bee farm with no electricity or lights.

Although this film is in the horror genre, the story also explores a mother-daughter relationship between Amanda and her daughter, Chris. Since it is just the two of them in a remote area, their relationship is strengthened by the isolation. Although their farm produces honey from raising bees, it is also seen in the film that they raise chicks. The mother-daughter bond between the two is only strengthened throughout the film, especially when they have to go against the spirit of Amanda’s mother together.

As creepy as this film may be perceived, it is not as horrifying considering the rating to be PG-13. The trailer of this horror film surprisingly does not include jumpscares as individuals may think otherwise. This film includes dramatic scenes and heavy topics to do with trauma. Ultimately, Umma should be added to the to-watch list and it would be recommended to watch it at your own risk!