A Celebration of Very Long Term Marital Contentment: “My Love, Don’t Cross That River”

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A couple who have lived together for 76 years faces the last moments of their marriage.

Perhaps one of the most romantic documentaries ever made. Beautifully shot in a breathtaking mountain village in South Korea, the film follows a husband and wife known as the “100-year-old lovebirds.” Joyful, playful and so visibly in love, they have lived a fairy-tale romance through their 76 years of marriage.

But when the husband falls ill, the thought of his death becomes almost unbearable for the wife. With gorgeous cinematography, exquisite storytelling and a compassionate approach to his subjects, it is no wonder that the film broke box office records in its native South Korea.

“My Love, Don’t Cross That River” Showcases Love, Loss, and Nothing In-between

My Love, Don’t Cross That River (Korean: 님아, 그 강을 건너지 마오) is a 2013 South Korean documentary film that follows elderly married couple Jo Byeong-man and Kang Kye-yeol until the last moments of their 76-year marriage. Documentary filmmaker Jin Mo-young filmed Jo and Kang in the couple’s mountain village in Hoengseong County, Gangwon Province for 15 months.

My Love, Don’t Cross That River premiered at the 2013 DMZ International Documentary Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. It was released in theaters on 27 November 2014 and through word of mouth became the most commercially successful Korean documentary/independent film of all time.