COURTESY HIFF "My Mother the Mermaid" travels through time to tell two stories --Êfirst of the relationship between a young girl and her overbearing mother; second, a love story between the girl's parents.

Trip to the past enlightens
a daughter

Once you get past the harsh relationship of the first 30 minutes of the film "My Mother the Mermaid," the story turns into an innocent tale about love and the impulsiveness of youth.

"My Mother the Mermaid" Screens 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Signature Dole Cannery

Na-young (Jeon Do-yeon) is looking forward to a trip abroad, away from her argumentative mother and passive father. When Na-young's father suddenly leaves home, Na-young cancels her trip to track him down, thus leading her to her parents' hometown, where she is transported back in time 30 years and meets her mother at age 20 (the role is also played by Jeon Do-yeon).

Na-young sees her mother -- who doesn't know her future daughter -- in a different light, as a playful, cheerful young woman, who shows no sign of the bitterness that will dominate her life in the future.

Na-young watches as her mother's love for a young postman -- Na-young's father Jin-kook -- grows. And finds herself helping her mother find ways to meet Jin-kook.

Na-young also sees how much her mother has sacrificed to raise Na-young's uncle, Yeon-soon's younger brother, and send him to school.

The mother and daughter become good friends, and the time the two spend together in the past helps Na-young understand and love her mother more in the present.

Jeon Do-yeon does an excellent job as the younger Yeon-soon. Her exuberance is endearing and her love for Jin-kook heartwarming, as Yeon-soon thinks up different strategies to see Jin-kook and draw him to her door.

Overall, however, while the movie is entertaining, it leaves it's most pressing questions in need of answers.

Chief among them, how did Na-young's parents end up together? (Jin-kook was supposed to be transferred to the mainland for his job, so viewers assume Yeon-soon went with him. But the movie just shows Jin-kook telling Yeon-soon that he has to leave, and consequently, Yeon-soon avoids any contact with Jin-kook.) And what was it that turned Yeon-soon into a hard-nosed, foul-mouthed woman, and Jin-kook into such a pushover?