After being hired as an art teacher for a school for deaf children, Kang In-ho uncovers the sexual and physical abuse doled out by the school’s administration, and fights to expose these crimes with human rights activist Seo Yoo-jin.
The take
Abuse is bad and should be reported, full stop. But it’s not so easy to do so, when abusers stay in positions of power, and the people who are assigned to keep them in check are cowardly against them. Silenced depicts true crime novel The Crucible, which in turn, is based on a real life case of the Gwangju Inhwa School. Through the perspective of a new art teacher, Silenced systematically outlines how difficult it is to deliver justice, from the way the school administration bribed police and the education department, to the way the court didn’t even think to hire a deaf interpreter. It’s a horrific watch, but the intensity of the depiction was needed, given that this film’s release pushed South Korea’s government to change their laws and the actual school shut down within the same year.
What stands out
The way the film handles the abuse scenes. It’s handled in a way that the actual violent actions aren’t committed (as it should be), but the intensity of the scenes are still intact. No wonder the entire country was in outrage.
Comments
Add a comment
Your name
Your comment
UP NEXT
UP NEXT
UP NEXT
More like this in
My Old Ass (2024)
A pleasant mix of comedy and coming-of-age that may or may not leave you in tears
8.6
The Guilty (2018)
A minimalist, razor-sharp thriller that will have you gasping for air.
9.0
Lady Vengeance (2005)
Truth-seeking and revenge fuel this Korean classic
8.1
Poetry (2011)
A movie that aims straight for your heart and leaves you broken into a thousand pieces
8.8
Drive My Car (2021)
A poignant, meandering tale of art, love, and loss
8.9
The Host (2006)
Family saves each other in this emotionally satisfying, epic monster movie
7.7
Microhabitat (2017)
Challenging self-preservation in a profit-oriented world
7.4
Minari (2021)
A winning story about the pursuit of the American Dream
7.8
Juror 8 (2019)
A fun and colorful feature about the eight jurors in South Korea's first jury trial
7.2
Swing Kids (2018)
An engaging and enjoyable musical that revels in dance, but struggles in depicting its history