Han Gong-ju

Gong-ju is seventeen and has to change schools. She is placed with the mother of her former teacher; her family takes no interest, her father is interested in money and her mother left years ago. At the new school she speaks to nobody. A group of girls invites her into their choir and her voice turns out to be good. For a while life seems to improve. Then a video appears online and everyone at the school learns who she is. The narrative goes back and opens what happened at her old school. Lee Su-jin writes and directs. Chun Woo-hee plays Gong-ju. It is the director's first feature. The narrative comes from a real case; a mass assault prosecution in Korea had caused great argument in the country. The film's choice is not to show the event; the narrative follows what came after and does not stage the attack. Its real subject is not the perpetrators but the surroundings; the families, the school administration and the townspeople try to silence the girl. Chun Woo-hee won many awards in Korea for the part and the film drew attention at festivals. It is independent and low budget; after release the number of cinemas grew through audience support. The ending is left open and the narrative offers no resolution. Who it is for: viewers who like Korean independent cinema and drama carrying social criticism. Who it is not for: the subject is extremely heavy, the narrative offers no hope, and the ending is uncertain.