Hope

From a real case: in December 2008 in South Korea an eight-year-old girl was abducted on her way to school and severely assaulted. She survived with permanent damage to her internal organs. The twelve-year sentence given to her attacker caused enormous public anger; he also had a record of violence. The film is about the aftermath rather than the event. The assault is not shown; the narrative begins in the hospital and follows the child trying to return to her life, the family coming apart, and what the legal process does to them. Its best idea sits between father and daughter: the girl will not let him near her, so he starts wearing the costume of a cartoon character she loves and communicates with her that way. Sul Kyung-gu plays the father, Uhm Ji-won the mother and Lee Re the child. Lee Joon-ik directed. It won Best Film at the 34th Blue Dragon Awards and drew over a million admissions in Korea. Before you watch, know this: the subject is the sexual assault of a child and the film is extremely heavy. It does not, however, make the abuse into spectacle; its concern is the child's recovery and the family staying upright.