Suspicious movie genre is one of the most popular on the Internet. Obviously, because it attracts attention more than any other. It is characterized by showing disgusting stories that make you wonder: “Who were the perverts who recorded this?”. Although there are cases when this question is not relevant. As for Silenced, its plot only dramatizes real events. So terrible that the film barely scratches the surface, and that’s enough to make it an absolutely terrifying experience.
The worst part of living in hell is that you can’t get out of it. When you manage to ask for help, you are ignored. The only thing you can do is suffer in silence to see how long you can endure the torture. This true story is about dozens of disabled children (mostly deaf and orphans) who were sexually abused for years at a boarding school in South Korea.. With nowhere else to go, there came a point where the victims simply became accustomed to hell. Thus, these heinous crimes were kept secret for decades until the film changed the world.
South Korea enjoys an excellent international reputation for its strong cultural industry. However, it was only in the 1990s that the country began to democratize after being ruled by a series of military tyrants for more than three decades. And this is after brutal colonization by Japan in the first half of the 20th century. As a result, their society remains overwhelmingly conservative. In general, the authorities never question, cursing at subordinates is a guarantee. You must know this to understand this incredible story.
What’s happened?
Speechless is based on the novel The Crucible, which tells the story of a teacher who is hired to teach art to deaf children at a boarding school. Upon arrival, you begin to notice all sorts of suspicious behavior: students are socially withdrawn, some have wounds on their arms and other parts of the body. The administrators are especially evasive, as if they are trying to figure out whether he, too, will want to keep it a secret. He soon discovers a disgusting plot: administrators and teachers collaborate to keep secret the fact that they are sexually abusing their students. The novel quite accurately dramatizes real events.
The most disturbing factor in this massive series of crimes is that the Gwangju Inhwa Boarding School itself appears to have been created for the purpose of sexually abusing vulnerable people. Since the administrators: director, deputy director and other employees were part of the founding family.. They all seemed to share the same kink and became experts at covering for each other. Today it is known that between 2000 and 2004 there were at least 30 victims of rape.. These were not isolated incidents; abuses and violations occurred on a daily basis. Moreover, for students living in dormitories, there was no salvation.
Over time, a long history of abuse was discovered, dating back to the 1960s. Most of the teachers didn’t even know how to speak sign language., and those who knew had only basic knowledge. In addition, the school was financed with public money.
In Silenced we see how the main character manages to expose the criminals. The police did not want to investigate the case because the perpetrators came from a wealthy and therefore prestigious family.. They were forced to do this only when an interview with one of the victims became public. But the trial turned out to be a complete farce. Although the perpetrators were found guilty and sentenced, their sentences were suspended and they were released on parole.. The school principal received a five-year prison sentence, but the sentence was quickly suspended. A year later he died of cancer.
After the trial, the nightmare continued. Most of those accused of sexual abuse, including a vice principal, a teacher and an administrator, were rehired at the boarding school. Teachers who sided with victims were suspended, fired, or had their salaries reduced..
The premiere of Silenced changed everything
Although a documentary and a novel had already been made about this absurd phenomenon, the case and subsequent trial were kept secret. Everything changed when iconic actor Gong Yoo (who will star in the film) began his military service at the age of twenty-nine.. His commander gave him a promotion book to sergeant. It was a novel, The Crucible, dramatizing this incident. Gong Yoo read it and thought it should be made into a movie.
His wish came true, and Silenced was released in 2011. This caused a social phenomenon the likes of which had never been seen in South Korea. The indignation of the Koreans knew no bounds. Many did not want to believe that the film depicted real events, but, having confirmed this, they were forced to act..
The cases were reopened, but, faced with the impossibility of retrying the same crime, the prosecutor came up with an ingenious solution. He decided to sue again, this time for moral damages caused to the victims..
Thus, they managed to sentence the former administrator of the boarding school to twelve years in prison. On the other side, only four of the thirteen teachers accused of abuse were punishedbecause the statute of limitations has already expired.
The biggest achievement was the creation of the Dogani Law (after the title of the film in Korean), increasing penalties for those convicted of sexually abusing minors and the disabled. He went from a maximum of seven years for sexual assault of a disabled person and ten years in the case of a child to the possibility of being sentenced to life in prison.. The sentences will be longer if the offender was an employee of an educational institution. The law also eliminates the ridiculously short statute of limitations for this type of crime.
The novel’s author, Gong Jiyong, stated that she was compelled to write “The Crucible” when she read the following line in an article:
“At the moment when it was announced in sign language that (the attackers) would be released with a suspended sentence, the court erupted in an incomprehensible roar emanating from the hearing impaired persons present.”
Years later, actor Gong Yoo, after reading his novel, said: “
“I felt inside me a desire for resentment and anger. Did it really take me this long to realize that these things happen in the world we live in? My heart is beating fast.”
The two of them are responsible for finally getting justice. This is a testament to the power of art. but above all, the power that cinema has as a mass art influences society..
Source: Hiper Textual
