CHARACTERIZED BY family gatherings and plentiful food, Chu-seok is an important holiday for Korean people that brings families together. Deriving from the agricultural custom of celebrating the year’s first harvest, Chu-seok is also a time to relax and celebrate the hard work you have done during the year. Whether you decide to spend the holiday with your loved ones or looking for ways to entertain yourself at home, heart-warming family movies are a perfect option. Here are three movies about bustling and crowded family gatherings that will get you into the Chu-seok spirit.

The Royal Tenenbaums

   The Royal Tenenbaums is a film about three grown-up siblings—Chas, Margot, and Richie—reluctantly returning to their childhood family home, where they face individual challenges regarding their family. The film covers complicated emotional dilemmas surrounding the family members and their relationships, thoroughly developing each character’s perspectives on the interpersonal conflicts. For instance, Royal Tenenbaum, a father who was largely absent and hard to please in the past, is afraid of being disconnected from his children and strives to make up for the lost time in their childhood. Chas struggles with forgiving his father for never approving of his late wife. Margot, the only adopted child in the family, remains distant and cold to her father in her effort to figure out who she is. Finally, Richie, who was a prodigious tennis player and had his father’s complete support, tragically loses his career when he falls in love with his sister Margot.

   Watching this dysfunctional family untie the tangled knots of their past with forgiveness and acceptance is a healing and enjoyable experience. The film is further enriched by director Wes Anderson’s signature visual and aesthetic elements that complement the eccentricity of the characters and their stories. The overall filmography also has a warm tone to it, with bright lighting and saturated colors, which give the scenes a theatrical touch. Although the film deals with serious family issues, the lighthearted atmosphere and the touching resolution of conflict make for an enjoyable experience.

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain

   The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is a biographical film about the artist Louis Wain, famous for his anthropomorphized cat illustrations. The film focuses on the artist’s personal life and family: his five sisters, as well as his wife Emily Richardson and Peter the cat. The absurdity of the Wain family that contrasts the film’s “prim and proper” Victorian setting—not to mention the abundance of adorable cats that are involved in the story—will bring joy to anyone who is looking for a feel-good period piece about gentle love. The portrayal of Wain’s life, albeit a tragic one, is made in the most beautiful manner, successfully capturing the essence of the man who still found a way to look at the world with the same lighthearted joy reflected in his art.

   The movie also shows relatable familial relationships, as Wain’s interaction with his eldest sister Caroline might remind you of your own siblings who are stark opposites of yourself. Whereas Wain is portrayed as a dreaming, naive artist who cares little for practical matters, Caroline constantly worries for the well-being of her family. However, despite years of disagreements and sibling disputes, Caroline’s last words to Louis will bring tears to your eyes. The film finds beauty within struggles, just like how Wain brought joy to the people around him with the witty illustrations he created during the darkest time of his life.

Little Miss Sunshine

   Dreaming about something that is not likely to happen is the main theme of Little Miss Sunshine, a comedy road trip movie that follows the Hoover family, who is taking their daughter Olive to a beauty pageant in California. Despite the premise of the film, Olive is not the conventional pageant queen you would expect. Nevertheless, her love for the stage is evident in the coaching sessions she has with her grandpa Edwin. The entire family supports her by deciding to drive a run-down minivan all the way to California in order to help Olive live her dream.

   The Hoover family—consisting of grandpa Edwin, parents Sheryl and Richard, depressed uncle Frank, and the children Dwayne and Olive—is a chaotic group with their own set of problems that occupy them to the point of jeopardizing Olive’s dream. Ambivalently, it is precisely Olive who holds the family together in times of crisis. The little girl reminds everyone that being yourself, while embracing all your problems, is more important than trying to be “normal.” The family rallies behind the idea that she embodies, and their sense of teamwork will resonate deeply with viewers even after the film is over.

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   With these films to keep you company, make your Chu-seok holiday a time to be remembered with moments of comfort and ample laughter. Heart-warming family dramas will be sure to lift your spirits up during the holiday, even if family gatherings are not in your plans.