Silenced Movie Review

Trigger warning
This movie contains scenes, situations, descriptions and graphic visuals that could be traumatic and disturbing to many. Please read this review and watch it only if your heart and mind can take it.
The movie talks about sexual assault towards young children and pedophilia.

Movie: Silenced (도가니 – The Crucible)

Director and Screenwriter: Hwang Dong-hyuk

Based on: The Crucible by Gong Ji-young

Cast:- Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Kim Hyun-soo, Jung In-seo, Baek Seung-hwan, Kim Ji-young, Jang Gwang, Kim Joo-ryong and others.

About the Movie:

In-ho gets appointed as an arts teacher at the Gwangju Inhwa School, a school for the hearing impaired children. At first, the students seem aloof and distant from him. They seem uncomfortable around him and avoid any possible encounter with him. As the days pass, In-ho succeeds in befriending the children and the children open up to him. It is then that he finds out about all the painful and shocking things that the children have been enduring in the school without anybody's knowledge. Will he help the children get the justice that they deserve?

(*This review may contain spoilers. If you have already watched the movie, please continue reading. If you haven’t watched the movie yet, you can still continue reading or you can come back to the review later.)

My Views about the Movie:-

"Who are we as humans if we ignore the suffering of others?"

How did we end up here? How are we allowed to abuse, overthrow and torment others and still call ourselves humans? Can't we see their tears? Can't we see the pain, the sufferings, the trauma of others? Is that what we call humanity?
How is that someone is saying no and we still don't care to hear it, feel it, understand it?

If agony had a synonym then it would be the movie 'Silenced'. This movie reminds me of the movie Spotlight. The fact that the 'Silenced' is based on real life incidents is even more painful to accept. It is said that the movie was adapted from the novel "The Crucible" by Gong Ji-young. The novel is based on true events that took place in the early 2000s.

The movie focuses heavily on the brutality that the young visually impaired kids, studying in Gwangju Inhwa School face every day until In-ho arrived. It is heartbreaking to watch and understand how there are people out there in the world that are inflicting pain, terror and abusive acts on young children and getting away with minimal or no punishment. We as humans are bound to make mistakes everyday and we are given opportunities to correct these mistakes. But how are we as humans able to commit grave mistakes and incorrigible offences and are not being punished for it? Young children who go through traumatic childhoods are bound to grow up being scared, scarred and with multiple psychological issues like self harming, anger, trust issues, depression, and many more. Imagine going through something excruciating like sexual abuse, having to deal with it as a young child and growing up with those disturbing memories. In addition to all this, they also have to live with the truth act that their offenders are not punished and this world is not ready to give them the justice they deserve because they have no power, money or influence in the society.

We are mere humans and in our eyes many crimes might be left unpunished, but the creator up there will ensure that justice will be given to the innocent, to the victims.

The Actors, The Characters and The Director:

Gong Yoo as Kang In-ho: In-ho is a simple common man like the rest of us. He is in search of a stable job that would pay him enough to take care of himself, his daughter and his mother. It is either because of his calibre that he is recommended for the job at Gwangju Inhwa School or because he is considered naïve enough to let things around him go unnoticed. Even though he has no power or influence or money, he knows that he needs to stand by what is right and support the young children who are wronged. He is determined to expose the crimes committed against the children at the school. He is like a God sent miracle in the lives of the kids of the school. He fights fearlessly alongside the children for the justice and for their rights till the end irrespective of the outcome of the trial and the court decision. Gong Yoo is such a versatile actor and I think casting him as In-ho is the best decision. He makes sure that his screen presence doesn’t affect that of the younger actors. He works along with all the actors, both main and supporting, and delivers his best.

Jung Yu-mi as Seo Yoo-jin:- Seo Yoo-jin is a character with a very relaxed and easy going. She is a human rights activist and when In-ho approaches her with the case of the children from the school, she is immediately on board and decides to fight for justice. We can see that she is bothered by the unfair treatment in the society and finds the whole discrimination disturbing. Throughout the movie, whenever the kids are mistreated, she makes sure to voice her opinion about the discrimination. She as a human believes in equality, fairness, truth and integrity. It’s like the role of Yoo-jin was written for Jung Yu-mi. Jung Yu-mi has worked in beautiful women centric movies and her dedication to her roles is commendable. She is the perfect for realistic women characters. She is natural in her acting and displays maturity and grace with presence.

Kim Hyun-soo, Jung In-seo and Baek Seung-hwan as Yeon-doo, Yoo-ri and Min-su are convincing in their respective roles. The three young actors have shown great passion and maturity with their acting. To deliver such captivating performances at such a young age is impressive and I wish they that grow up to be beautiful human beings and successful actors and give performances as brilliant as the ones in this movie and get recognised for their notable work.

Director Hwang Dong-hyuk is known for his bold execution of social issues. We have had prior experience with Squid Game. This movie was no different. The movie has had a heavy impact on me. By the time the end credits were rolling up, I was mentally drained and disturbed. It was unlike any other movie I had ever watched.

By the end of the movie, I was heartbroken, angry, sad, aching, and on the brink of losing all hope on humanity. I gave myself a few hours to recover and reminded myself that there is still good out there. There is still humanity alive on the face of this earth. The reminder that there is love, kindness and generosity still left in this world instilled hope in me. I hope you all believe that too.

Let's be kind people. Let us spread love and be human. Let us be there for each other and be compassionate.