Silenced

Do-ga-ni / Silenced (2013) : Brief Review -

Another heart-wrenching and disturbing classic with Korean Realism. It proves again that Law & Justice is nothing but a big joke in real life. Based on real events, Silence depicts the story of a school for the hearing-impaired where young deaf students girls and boys both were sexually assaulted by the faculty members over a long period of time. Don't tell me that reading this don't leave your mind disturbed. I have always admired the level of Brutalism and Realism in Korean films but earlier most of the times it was about thriller and revenge dramas. Now, I admire Korean Realism for showing the Cruel and brutal true events happened in the society and how helpless victims can be. You know i sometimes believe that this Law & Justice looks effective and useful only in reel world. Just like any fictional piece of writing, cops and court would do correct justice. But in real life it doesn't happen like that and this film proves it. Not just this, i have seen two more films just recently to prove it. 'Miracle In Cell No. 7', 'Hope' and now this 'Silenced' have convinced me to believe so. In all three films we see the wrong side of Law & Justice and we hate it like anything. Silenced is more brutal because it shows the cruelty against children, not adults. This was before Hollywood made Oscar Winning 'Spotlight' (2015), a film based on sensitive and taboo subject like spiritual abuse. Here, it was child abuse with more cruelty and few unbearable visuals. The film breaks the silence on one of the most serious crime ever done in the society but the punishment for it is not at all acceptable. Acting, writing, screenplay, background score, cinematography, dialogues and direction everything about this film is perfect. Overall, another mind-shattering Classic with uncompromised cinematic vision.

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Silenced is a mixing pot of emotions; one full of hope, resentment, depression but ultimately injustice. There are many films made to impress viewers but this one is among the few, not just to impress you, but to deeply disturb you. It makes you crave for nothing but human dignity and fairness. The film had me stunned with astonishing performances especially the three brilliant child actors who perfectly portrayed their characters. Silenced is a bold piece of modern Korean cinema that should be seen by everyone.

This movie is incredibly powerful, at some points i couldn't hold my tears.

The movie has portrayed true events in a masterfully done way. The cinematography/atmosphere and the music are superb.

This movie really made me sad and angry at the world at the same time. At some points in the movie i wished i could be there and take a gun and take justice in to my own hands.It portraits the true nature of how evil and disgusting human beings can be. The sheer fact that the system and those who "abide" the law are corrupt, and still manage not to give a damn about what happened to those children, is beyond my understanding.The movie got me frustrated at many points and i just wanted to punch the protagonist in the face for not taking justice in to his own hands. You see evil in front of you and you see that the majority of the people running the system, the laws are bad and corrupt, and you think by yourself, why not punish all those evil bastards? and i don't care how it is done, as long as they get punished.

At some point one gets the realization that there is no hope in this world. Our society is run by sociopaths and psychopaths. It shows that money can do anything, and that human life and a child's innocence means nothing to those in power. I'm really angry after watching this movie and so sad at the same time... i can't keep getting this movie out of my head.

This movie deserves an Oscar and should be seen by everyone!

8.8/10

The film is based on actual events that happened in Gwang Ju, South Korea. People assume that actual events were dramatized in the film, but apparently the actual events were more heinous than the movie. Gong Yoo read the novel The Crucible/Silenced (Dogani, 2009) while serving his mandatory military service and became involved in the film making.

The child actors were amazing. Because they had to portray deaf and mute children, they had to rely on their facial gestures, sign language, and sounds (cries and screams). They were simply amazing at depicting complex emotions.

Johan Lebbing is wrong. Gong Yoo is not holding a bible at the end of the movie (that would make no sense whatsoever in this movie). He's taking the subway and holding a cake from Tous Les Jours (a Korean boulangerie/patisserie chain) because it's Christmas. He's probably going home to his daughter.

South Korea is pretty lenient with sex offenders in general, and this movie caused an uproar in South Korea about sex crimes.

I watched the movie twice, and realized it really made me sad every time. The acts was so great, it was so believable, so touching.. I hope more people watch this movie and realize that we can make the world better by helping others.