The Silent Forest

Ko Chen-nien's 2020 Taiwanese film follows Chang Cheng, transferring to a residential school for deaf students. His eagerness to fit into a new environment turns to fear when he witnesses a game going on in the back row of the school bus. The subject is how a crime becomes normal. The abuse is not the work of one perpetrator; it is an order queued among the students, quietly sustained and overlooked by the school administration. The narrative also shows how the line between victim and perpetrator blurs. The film was inspired by a real case at a special education school in Taiwan where hundreds of students were affected. Ko is measured between showing the violence and withholding it. The film was nominated in many categories at the Golden Horse Awards. Who it's for: those who like Taiwanese cinema and dramas about institutional crime. Who it's not for: viewers sensitive to the sexual abuse of children; the film places it at the centre and does not soften it.