Gang In-ho takes a job working at a school for the hearing impaired in Gwangju. The movie opens with him driving to the school (and having an accident) about the same time as a young boy from the school commits suicide by walking in front of a train. From almost the beginning of his time at the school, he notices that something seems out of kilter. The school seems almost dark and unfeeling. The students not particularly friendly and one teacher is just damned mean. The movie focuses on two sisters, one of whom is especially stand-offish and the other, unfriendly and with issues about eating and their brother who seems to be bloodied and bruised worse every time he comes to class.
We eventually learn that the two girls are being abused physically and sexually by the Principal and the Asst Principal with the knowledge of one female teacher, the security guard, a local police officer and at least one staff member (who is abusing the boy both physically and sexually)
The teacher enlists the help of Seo Yu-jin, a human rights activist to help the children (and him) Initially they find little support for their cause. The police are totally disinterested in what Yu-jin tells them. Partially because here in Korea making the establishment look bad is not something people do readily and partially because the police officer is a fairly high ranking figure within the department. Finally, they turn to YTN News. And a reporter does an interview with the children that is seen on TV throughout Korea. The police reluctantly spring into action and arrest the principal, asst principal and the teacher -- no one else. The movie then moves onto the second trial. The children are 'raped' again, this time by members of the establishment.
The Superintendent for Public Instruction and the defense lawyer try to bribe the teacher into ending the case. When he refuses, they pay off the aged and mentally feeble grandmother of the children. The local evangelical community rallies to the defense of the principal. The prosecutor seems to be on the side of justice, but in the end, it appears he left the children hanging out to dry.
The movie is extremely graphic and painful. The rape scenes are not glossed over and the physical abuse of the oldest brother is difficult to watch. But more painful, is the end of the trial where the audience is left frustrated, angry and saddened by the way these three children (and their dead brother) are left with nothing even remotely resembling justice. What makes this hard to take is that, while the movie is based on the events, the events still happened and they were as horrid as the movie describes. And were it not for the book and this movie some of these people would have continued with their lives as if nothing had happened. A definite 10.
We eventually learn that the two girls are being abused physically and sexually by the Principal and the Asst Principal with the knowledge of one female teacher, the security guard, a local police officer and at least one staff member (who is abusing the boy both physically and sexually)
The teacher enlists the help of Seo Yu-jin, a human rights activist to help the children (and him) Initially they find little support for their cause. The police are totally disinterested in what Yu-jin tells them. Partially because here in Korea making the establishment look bad is not something people do readily and partially because the police officer is a fairly high ranking figure within the department. Finally, they turn to YTN News. And a reporter does an interview with the children that is seen on TV throughout Korea. The police reluctantly spring into action and arrest the principal, asst principal and the teacher -- no one else. The movie then moves onto the second trial. The children are 'raped' again, this time by members of the establishment.
The Superintendent for Public Instruction and the defense lawyer try to bribe the teacher into ending the case. When he refuses, they pay off the aged and mentally feeble grandmother of the children. The local evangelical community rallies to the defense of the principal. The prosecutor seems to be on the side of justice, but in the end, it appears he left the children hanging out to dry.
The movie is extremely graphic and painful. The rape scenes are not glossed over and the physical abuse of the oldest brother is difficult to watch. But more painful, is the end of the trial where the audience is left frustrated, angry and saddened by the way these three children (and their dead brother) are left with nothing even remotely resembling justice. What makes this hard to take is that, while the movie is based on the events, the events still happened and they were as horrid as the movie describes. And were it not for the book and this movie some of these people would have continued with their lives as if nothing had happened. A definite 10.