Sowon
Plots(1)
On her way to school, a young girl named So-won (which literally means "wish" or "hope" in Korean) gets sexually assaulted by a drunk older male stranger. As a result, she suffers multiple internal injuries and has to undergo a major surgery, but her emotional wounds are equally difficult to heal. Their happy family shattered, her parents Dong-hoon and Mi-hee go through feelings of pain and rage. Thanks to the love of those around her, So-won's condition gradually improves. At the sight of So-won slowly finding stability and laughter, her family also begins to change and enters a new phase in their lives, trying to find hope in the midst of their sorrow and despair. The movie is based on real events. (Moscow International Film Festival)
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Reviews (3)
Usually, I’d say I’m a bit of a hardened cynic—one who often sees the world differently than most. But this time, Korea got to me, breaking through with something like a sledgehammer, and most of all, with Re Lee’s unforgettable performance. More than once, I found my eyes misting up—a rare thing for me. This film broke me down, and by the end, I was left feeling changed. Then came the courtroom scene, and suddenly, my darker side was front and center. It wasn’t a wild, furious anger but a colder, controlled fury that lets you savor every detail of what you'd like to inflict on someone so vile. Watching the legal system here and abroad, I always think back to that old symbol of Justice holding the scales with her eyes covered. But only as I’ve grown older have I realized the dark humor of it. Justice seems to be blind to the suffering of victims, yet when it comes to defending the rights of the perpetrators, she’s got a microscope. This isn’t a disgusting film, even if the subject matter is beyond disturbing. For the most part, it’s actually a beautiful, heartfelt story. And despite knowing where it was all going, I kept hoping it would stay beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Korean film that hit me harder.
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A beautifully made film about a horribly heinous thing. That doesn't sound very profound, does it? Joon-ik Lee just has that sensibility that this subject needs. He delivers the story drop by drop, in a slow, gentle, and heartfelt manner. What got me the most was the relationship between the daughter and her father. Even in the happier scenes, I had a hard time holding back the tears. Little Re Lee has my respect because she handled her role incredibly. Hope, what a fitting title... 5 stars.
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I haven’t watched a movie from South Korea for a while and once again this, according to me, most European-like Asian cinema completely screwed me over. Unfortunately, I don’t know a better word, because what the Koreans showed here would milk even the emotions of a dromedary who just drank from the Oasis of Calm. Brutal. Hope is simply a crazy trip. I don’t have many words for what I saw but I have to admit that the mental darkness will stay in my head for a long time.
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