Yet another soul draining experience where I'm left thinking "no wonder I have no emotions, films just drain them til I have none left". I mean this was powerful without the story being overly heavy handed, an impressive directorial debut from Lee Su Jin. Based on a sexual violence case in 2004, a young girl seemingly attempts to blend in when she transfers to a new school. Unfortunately though, her harrowing past catches up as she struggles to flee from it. It's no spoiler, it's been well documented and is in the synopsis, that the sexual assault was a horrific gang rape. That's not the purpose of this film. This is purely a character study on a psychologically and emotionally damaged girl who has been the victim of a disgusting crime. The sexual scenes were heartbreaking. To see someone go through that is not an easy watch, and is clear why this was an independent film. Any big production studio would've exploited this story and toned down the graphic nature. But it's required. It's a powerful visceral image that enhances the pain and suffering Han Gong-Ju is going through. This is a very intimate and personal character study. Her development as you see her slowly blossom and crawl out of this dark nightmare that is overshadowing her is perfection. Instantly you connect with her. You know from the first few scenes that something has happened to her to cause all of this grief. Chun Woohee gives an understated and nuanced performance, she is able to capture the fragility and tenderness of her character beautifully. The pacing occasionally feels sluggish, but it's dealing with an important subject so I appreciated the fact it took its time. The ending was slightly ambiguous, yet I was still gobsmacked. Han Gong-Ju is yet another brilliant addition to Asian cinema. I would only recommend if you are into serious mature dramas, some scenes will cause discomfort and distress...trust me!
11 Reviews
Exceptional Korean Film of a girl with a past
t-dooley-69-38691626 April 2015
Han Gong Ju is a young school girl who is suddenly up rooted from her home and taken to a new district to live and attend a new school. All we know is that there has been 'a scandal' at her old school and that she was directly involved. Her school teacher takes her to live with his mother - who runs a little supermarket.
Han Gong Ju then tries to rebuild a life devoid of the past, but her curious detachment acts as a lure for some of her new class mates and try as she might the past always has a strange way of catching up with us.
This is probably a slow burner, but the direction and pacing make it feel more immediate than it actually is. The performances are all sufficiently nuanced to keep one guessing as to what really happened and as such the past is done in a slow reveal through flash backs. The back story could have been fleshed out better but once gain we have enough hints and subtle asides that help put all the pieces together. This is one where your full attention is required, but that is quite easy as it is very gripping. Another great piece of cinema from South Korea.
Han Gong Ju then tries to rebuild a life devoid of the past, but her curious detachment acts as a lure for some of her new class mates and try as she might the past always has a strange way of catching up with us.
This is probably a slow burner, but the direction and pacing make it feel more immediate than it actually is. The performances are all sufficiently nuanced to keep one guessing as to what really happened and as such the past is done in a slow reveal through flash backs. The back story could have been fleshed out better but once gain we have enough hints and subtle asides that help put all the pieces together. This is one where your full attention is required, but that is quite easy as it is very gripping. Another great piece of cinema from South Korea.
Puzzle scenes and powerful character evolution.
isellsoaps23 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers
When I started to watch I was thinking that I was not paying enough attention because it was looking too weird and random. However, at minute 50 some of the main puzzle pieces pops out in your front and the whole thing makes sense. And overall, the main thing you cannot understand is WHY the girl could possible be guilty for that??? It was my questioning since the beginning. This all because you do not understand HOW in this world rape can be considered something that the girls are the only guilty on it. Yes, the world is big enough to have places like that. And I am pleased that someone in there brought this up to the screen. Something like this happens and the justice is not there. At least we can be aware that if it happens again, hopefully people can act differently. I certainly hope.
completely heart shattering
aminifatimaaa16 December 2018
Han Gong-Ju was emotionally devastating. The storytelling was skillful and while it was easy to figure out what the central event was, the details only began to unravel as the story progressed, resulting in a captivating plot that culminated in some very heartbreaking scenes. Chun Woo-Hee's performance was arresting and the film's harrowing subject matter was handled delicately yet made all the more disturbing by the fact it's based on a real incident.
Exceptionally well written treatment of most difficult subject
Radu_A25 May 2015
Korean film has been pretty tough on its homeland. Much non-romantic lore of late handles mishandled or downright criminal police procedure or judiciary mistakes, and/or rape and abuse based on true stories. Other than the impeccable technical credits one has gotten used to in Korean film, most of these films impress by a story-driven writing that has become somewhat lost in Western film, where drama tends to involve more of the individual actor's abilities of expression - that makes them sometimes a little emotionally overwrought to Western viewers; examples for this may be 'Way back home' (2013) or 'Sea Fog' (2014), which are very good films but sometimes overdo things a bit.
'Han Gong-ju' is different. It focuses almost entirely on its principal character, played with outstanding reservation by Chun Woo-hee. The story jumps unpredictably back- and forwards, making it initially quite hard for the viewer to follow. But what may seem a weakness is actually the film's greatest strength, because the viewer is left with no choice but to follow the events through Gong-ju's own eyes - therefore the ugly truth, once revealed, hits twice as hard as it normally would because the various tensions in the plot are allowed to build up slowly. The only weakness in my opinion is the actual scene of the crime, which could have been edited more respectfully, but then again this is a graphic age we're living in.
In short, this is an exceptional character-driven piece about the most difficult subject of all to handle in film. A must for any serious cineast, but not for the faint of heart.
'Han Gong-ju' is different. It focuses almost entirely on its principal character, played with outstanding reservation by Chun Woo-hee. The story jumps unpredictably back- and forwards, making it initially quite hard for the viewer to follow. But what may seem a weakness is actually the film's greatest strength, because the viewer is left with no choice but to follow the events through Gong-ju's own eyes - therefore the ugly truth, once revealed, hits twice as hard as it normally would because the various tensions in the plot are allowed to build up slowly. The only weakness in my opinion is the actual scene of the crime, which could have been edited more respectfully, but then again this is a graphic age we're living in.
In short, this is an exceptional character-driven piece about the most difficult subject of all to handle in film. A must for any serious cineast, but not for the faint of heart.
Very good realistic works.
yoggwork20 February 2019
Very good realistic works. Although the narrative line is a little messy, it is also the interweaving of light and shadow, which always reminds the audience how cruel the reality is. I also hope that a strong woman can start a new life, unfortunately~
Very good movie with poor casting and editing jobs
MovieIQTest21 September 2015
i could easily give this film an 8 or 8.5 stars higher rating, but two things simply made it impossible. but first of all, i have to say this is quite emotional movie about the atrocity a teenage girl could ever face or deal with. a very sad story lack of any humanity in it. human beings are indeed the worst species this planet earth could do without, men and women, how heartless they could be, how senseless they could do, to a teenage girl. the loneliness that this main character suffered and had to deal with were simply beyond any word may be able to describe.
i have to praise the young actor who played Han Gong Ju, a sometimes plain, sometimes ugly, but most of the time looked beautiful young woman, depending how the camera's angles. i rarely saw a young actor could give such subtle performance by using her body language and expressions to show the gradual transformation of her mood under different conditions without any pretentiousness and exaggeration. a very talented natural young actor indeed.
the subject of the screenplay was also well scripted with deep feelings of helplessness and cruelty. if the casting job could do better and the editing could be more clearer, then this film could be on par with "oldboy", but it didn't.
first, about the casting: why hired two almost similar look alike female actors to play the young girl's mother and the teacher's mother? we know that almost 99% of the Korean women are having their faces(or even their body parts) fixed up by plastic surgery. so these two mature women sometimes were very difficult to identify who's who. they all looked alike, thus caused a lot of confusion in this film.
secondly, about the editing: the past and the present, the flashbacks, the connection, the transferring from the past to the present...were so carelessly arranged and edited. thus also caused so many confusions during watch. some of the flashbacks were so abrupt and so clueless until viewers realized they were the past instead of the present tense.
other than these two shortcomings, i have no other complaints against this little gem.
i have to praise the young actor who played Han Gong Ju, a sometimes plain, sometimes ugly, but most of the time looked beautiful young woman, depending how the camera's angles. i rarely saw a young actor could give such subtle performance by using her body language and expressions to show the gradual transformation of her mood under different conditions without any pretentiousness and exaggeration. a very talented natural young actor indeed.
the subject of the screenplay was also well scripted with deep feelings of helplessness and cruelty. if the casting job could do better and the editing could be more clearer, then this film could be on par with "oldboy", but it didn't.
first, about the casting: why hired two almost similar look alike female actors to play the young girl's mother and the teacher's mother? we know that almost 99% of the Korean women are having their faces(or even their body parts) fixed up by plastic surgery. so these two mature women sometimes were very difficult to identify who's who. they all looked alike, thus caused a lot of confusion in this film.
secondly, about the editing: the past and the present, the flashbacks, the connection, the transferring from the past to the present...were so carelessly arranged and edited. thus also caused so many confusions during watch. some of the flashbacks were so abrupt and so clueless until viewers realized they were the past instead of the present tense.
other than these two shortcomings, i have no other complaints against this little gem.
Exceptional Movie
abynorml2915 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
It is difficult to say a movie about a gang rape is great and recommended, but didn't Jodie Foster star in a movie like that--the Accused? And wasn't it nominated for awards?
This movie is more realistic and more understated.
This is a slow-burning, but gritty movie, well-written and acted. Worth the watch.
This movie is more realistic and more understated.
This is a slow-burning, but gritty movie, well-written and acted. Worth the watch.
Gloomy and important
wickedmikehampton15 December 2020
'Han Gong Ju' is one of Korea's finest movies, and the directors first.
It became their country's biggest indie movie, even outselling Spiderman 2 in that comic obsessed culture. Maybe because 'Hang Gong Ju' was inspired by a real-life event that makes the 'Unbelievable' mini-series 'tame'.
I felt its female pain, uncomfortable of being male in chauvinistic society.
It became their country's biggest indie movie, even outselling Spiderman 2 in that comic obsessed culture. Maybe because 'Hang Gong Ju' was inspired by a real-life event that makes the 'Unbelievable' mini-series 'tame'.
I felt its female pain, uncomfortable of being male in chauvinistic society.
A painful but artistic, memorable, and non-exploitative depiction of how traumatizing and harmful rape and its aftermath often are to victim-survivors
dani_fz4 October 2023
I just finished watching this unique movie and - I have to put this out there before saying anything else - huge trigger warning for sexual assault and related traumatic events.
That said, and despite the trigger warning, one of the major strengths of the movie is its sensitive and non-exploitative treatment of what is, by all accounts, a harrowing and deeply painful subject. The writing, direction, editing, and performances are all commendable in how impressionably but carefully they expose rape culture and the costs it imposes on its victim-survivors. Indeed, the movie does what very few of its kind manage to do: to communicate the horrors and harms of rape and of its aftermath to audiences while avoiding catering to the male gaze and sexually objectifying its female characters, or exploiting its female characters in other ways purely for the male audiences' entertainment.
As a consequence, Su-jin Lee and his crew succeed, in a way that is rarely seen in cinema, to show just how hard coming out with a rape allegation is to victims of sexual assault and/or rape and how existing patriarchal institutions and agents all work together to ensure that this remains the reality for victim-survivors. And this is so, to a large part, due to the centering of the narrative on Han Gong-Ju's mental and social life; the award-worthy editing that shifts between Gong-Ju's present and past often without prior indication; and the emotionally laden performance by Chun-Woo-He (Hann Gong-Ju) who most often does not even have to speak to communicate her motivations and emotions to the viewer. Some would attribute these strengths to the particulars of Korean drama filmmaking in general but, as someone who's watched a number of classic Korean drama movies, I'd object to this and argue that due credit should be given to the creators of this unique and woefully under-watched and underrated classic.
In all, this is a movie that I would recommend to almost everyone for artistic, educational, sociological, entertainment, and moral reasons because, I guarantee, it has something for nearly all viewers, no matter their interests and motivations in movie-watching and in social and educational issues. The only negatives I noted in the movie include its promotion of alcohol and cigarette use and its plot development with regards to how the editing is used as a narrative tool (which takes a while to get used to while watching it).
That said, and despite the trigger warning, one of the major strengths of the movie is its sensitive and non-exploitative treatment of what is, by all accounts, a harrowing and deeply painful subject. The writing, direction, editing, and performances are all commendable in how impressionably but carefully they expose rape culture and the costs it imposes on its victim-survivors. Indeed, the movie does what very few of its kind manage to do: to communicate the horrors and harms of rape and of its aftermath to audiences while avoiding catering to the male gaze and sexually objectifying its female characters, or exploiting its female characters in other ways purely for the male audiences' entertainment.
As a consequence, Su-jin Lee and his crew succeed, in a way that is rarely seen in cinema, to show just how hard coming out with a rape allegation is to victims of sexual assault and/or rape and how existing patriarchal institutions and agents all work together to ensure that this remains the reality for victim-survivors. And this is so, to a large part, due to the centering of the narrative on Han Gong-Ju's mental and social life; the award-worthy editing that shifts between Gong-Ju's present and past often without prior indication; and the emotionally laden performance by Chun-Woo-He (Hann Gong-Ju) who most often does not even have to speak to communicate her motivations and emotions to the viewer. Some would attribute these strengths to the particulars of Korean drama filmmaking in general but, as someone who's watched a number of classic Korean drama movies, I'd object to this and argue that due credit should be given to the creators of this unique and woefully under-watched and underrated classic.
In all, this is a movie that I would recommend to almost everyone for artistic, educational, sociological, entertainment, and moral reasons because, I guarantee, it has something for nearly all viewers, no matter their interests and motivations in movie-watching and in social and educational issues. The only negatives I noted in the movie include its promotion of alcohol and cigarette use and its plot development with regards to how the editing is used as a narrative tool (which takes a while to get used to while watching it).
Long and disconnected.
Hez17 August 2014
Slow, scattered. Some subplot should have been trimmed or cut completely. The fundamental crime is a bit unbelievable, like a home invasion out of a horror movie, and that undermines the tower of disconnected scenes on top. The climax and the ending are rushed.
A well shot and well acted film, but the lead had hardly anything to work with. For all the film's length, we know almost nothing about the main character's life before the incident, which makes it hard to relate to her. Her performance was good but with the languid pace and editing, and the drip feed script, she almost seems blank, but the film just manages to avoid this.
The problem is, the film builds all this emotional weight on a somewhat sensational premise and this kind of trauma requires a treatment more committed to the character. Nobody helps her in the end, not the other characters, but not the director either, or the viewers, who really become voyeurs.
A well shot and well acted film, but the lead had hardly anything to work with. For all the film's length, we know almost nothing about the main character's life before the incident, which makes it hard to relate to her. Her performance was good but with the languid pace and editing, and the drip feed script, she almost seems blank, but the film just manages to avoid this.
The problem is, the film builds all this emotional weight on a somewhat sensational premise and this kind of trauma requires a treatment more committed to the character. Nobody helps her in the end, not the other characters, but not the director either, or the viewers, who really become voyeurs.
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