Silenced (2011)

 ●  Korean ● 2 hrs 5 mins

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Gang In-ho uncovers sexual and physical abuse at a school for hearing impaired children. With the help of a human rights activist, Gang fights against the community to expose the abuse and put a stop to it.
See Storyline (May Contain Spoilers)

Cast: Gong Yoo, Jung Yu-mi, Kim Hyun-Soo

Crew: Hwang Dong-Hyuk (Director), Ji Yong Kim (Director of Photography), Mowg (Music Director)

Rating: M18 (Singapore), 18 (South Korea)

Genres: Drama

Release Dates: 21 Jun 2012 (Hong Kong), 04 Aug 2012 (Japan), 22 Sep 2011 (South Korea)

Korean Name: 도가니

Music Rating
Based on 1 rating
1 user 1 critic
Did you know? Depicting both the crimes and the court proceedings that let the teachers off with minimal punishment, the film had sparked public outrage upon its September 2011 release, which eventually resulted in a reopening of the investigations into the incidents. Read More
Silenced: Left me silent, thinking and sad for long...
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Movie: Silenced (18)

Rating: 4.75/5

If you're into watching realistic movies, then you're bound to like it. SILENCED/THE CRUCIBLE is an effective & realistic action-drama feature that appeals because of the sincerity towards the film by its actors and the justice done to the script by the director. Such strong content-oriented films can definitely change the society and it's not a spoiler, it did. To find out more, search about it on Internet. SILENCED is by no means an ordinary film: it's a film which questions South Korean society, as well as the people of the world as humans, too.

I don't think it would be right to tell what the film is about since that can be found out easily. But, wait. Why don't you simply see the film and recommend it to others? This is a realistic film, and the word is enough for you to understand what kind of a film it is. The topic is what is being commonly raised in our Indian movies too, but from a totally different perspective. I think this is the first of its kind. The film is made in a way that you'll end up rooting for the lead characters, their efforts and the young victims. I was indeed shocked to see how far can the devilish nature of humans go. Some scenes, rather many scenes might be, by no means an easy watch. But I support the director's reason for adding these realistic scenes: to make us feel angry, and I not just felt angry, but also happy that he succeeded in making us emote.

SILENCED is a film which can end up raising hot debates and talks, and it would be a surprise if one doesn't end up liking the film. The film is a perfect example of films that can change the society, the country and eventually, the world. Even though I'm not a South Korean, I ended up liking this film very much. What happens in this film happens in India almost daily, but still it was refreshing to see such a realistic film from South Korea, the country from where we get terrific films everywhere.

Technically too, this film is brilliant. I recommend catching it on Blu-ray. The dialogues are powerful. Gong Yoo once again proves himself and I don't need to say why. Jung Yu-mi is not just pretty, but a talented actress too. You can see it from her performance. The child artists surprise you with their acts, since you don't expect kids normally to do such a dark film. They all give terrific performances, eventually making you feel their pain. Thr action scenes are very realistic, though not all are what you'll "enjoy". The pain in the torturous violence can be felt, and thus several action sequences are not meant to entertain you. However, some action scenes are also there, which you'll enjoy watching. The cinematography is excellent. Visuals are excellent. The music supports the film and the editing is great as the film doesn't bore you for even a second.

SILENCED is a very, very powerful film which deserves to be seen. Sadly I can't recommend it for kids, since they would be saddened but I recommend it to people around 15 and above to watch it. Such films don't intend to entertain you only, but also to make you aware and alert. It won't be right to call it an enjoyable film, but it's definitely thought-provoking, and at times, entertaining too.

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as Kang In-ho
as Seo Yoo-jin
as Yeon-doo
as Min-soo
as prosecutor
as school custodian/guard
as Kim Joo-ryung - Yo
as headmaster twin brothers
as courtroom sign language interpreter
as Attorney Hwang
as Young-soo
as Yoo-ri
as In-ho's mother
as Yoon Ja-ae
as auto repair shop owner
as Professor Kim Jung-woo
as headmaster's wife
as police officer Jang
as judge

Direction

Director

Production

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Writers

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Camera and Electrical

Director of Photography

Music

Music Director

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Film Type:
Feature
Language:
Korean
Colour Info:
Color
Frame Rate:
24 fps
Aspect Ratio:
2.35:1
Stereoscopy:
No
Trivia:
With over 4 million people in Korea having watched the film, the demand for legislative reform eventually reached its way to the National Assembly of South Korea, where a revised bill, dubbed the Dogani Bill, was passed in late October 2011 to abolish the statute of limitations for sex crimes against minors and the disabled.

Depicting both the crimes and the court proceedings that let the teachers off with minimal punishment, the film had sparked public outrage upon its September 2011 release, which eventually resulted in a reopening of the investigations into the incidents.

The movie is based on the true events that took place at Gwangju Inhwa School for the hearing-impaired, where young deaf students were the victims of repeated sexual assaults by the faculty members over a period of five years in the early 2000s.