hankyoreh

By Song Ho-jin

When actor Gong Yoo joined the military at the age of 29, he was given a book by his commander as a gift for his promotion to sergeant. It was Gong Ji-yeong's roman a clef "The Crucible," which the author reportedly wrote after reading an article containing the line, "The moment [the assailants'] release on a suspended sentence was interpreted into sign language, the court erupted in an incomprehensible roar from the hearing impaired individuals present."

On his last leave before his discharge, Gong Yoo suggested to the head of a film production company that the novel be adapted into a movie.

"I felt this sense of resentment and anger with myself, thinking, 'It took me this long to realize that things like that happen in the world we live in?'" the now 33-year-old actor recalled. "My heart was pounding."

Samgeori Pictures President Eom Yong-hun said, "We were the last of the production companies that wanted to adapt it to submit a proposal to the publishing company."

"I think that Gong Ji-yeong saw the 27-page proposal expressing Gong Yoo's thoughts and was impressed with the genuineness of his desire to adapt the film," Eom added.

Set to premiere on Sept. 22, the film "The Crucible" (rated for viewers 18 and over) is based on a novel that dramatizes the true story of the sexual abuse of hearing impaired and mentally impaired students aged 7 to 22 by a principal and teachers at Gwangju Inhwa School between 2000 and 2004. As in the novel, the film brings the forgotten incident back to life against the backdrop of the Benevolence Academy in the fictional city of Mujin, North Jeolla.

Gong plays the school's new art teacher, Gang In-ho, who finds a group of children who have lost the light in their eyes, much like the fog-shrouded provincial city of Mujin. At a school where the words of the students are difficult to understand, the first sounds In-ho hears are the screams of a female student coming from the bathroom.

Throughout the film, "The Crucible" pierces the hearts of viewers, who are forced to witness children enduring terrible abuses at the hands of merciless adults, then being hurt once again as their reasonable hope that the assailants would be punished is thwarted by depraved members of the social elite. The experience may be even more unbearable for viewers who wish to believe this is a fictional story when they consider that it was based on an actual incident.

"The Crucible" contains none of the humorous elements so common in other movies. But the 125-minute film is powerful enough to draw audiences in numbers to match the novel, which was viewed 16 million times when serialized on the Internet and sold over 400 thousand copies as a book.

The film directly tackles the devious tactics of the powerful: the assailants who try to use money to cover the incident up, the preferential ruling for the defense lawyer was a senior judge in the same court, and the prosecutors who in the end abandon justice. It inspires tears and applause at the courage of the children in the courtroom calmly describing the abuses in sign language. Gong Yoo and actress Jung Yu-mi, who plays a human rights center secretary who aids the children in their fight, gained an opportunity to expand the breadth of their acting abilities substantially with their roles.

As they leave the theater, viewers will find themselves more infuriated by the fact that the battle is not yet over. Some of the assailants, all of whom were released with suspended sentences, subsequently returned to their positions at the school. Employees who blew the whistle were dismissed, and promises of therapy and compensation for the victims were not kept. The school continues to receive billions of won in budgetary support.

In cinematic terms, there is a sense of oversimplification, with the bad characters portrayed as utterly evil and fearsome. But this is unlikely to be a major problem for viewers who are aware that the real individuals did things that were even more terrible.

Some may be put off by scenes in which child actors are subjected to sexual assault.

Director Hwang Dong-hyuk said, "In the scenes with child actors, their parents were always present, and we took pains to ensure that they were not hurt."

"I hope that viewers will realize through this film that these things actually happened," Hwang added.

In contrast to the book, in which Gang In-ho flees Mujin before the battle is finished, the film version of the character is seen crying out to the people as he is knocked over by a police water cannon. "These are children who can't hear or speak," he yells.

These words come across as an indictment of popular indifference: our unwillingness to hear the things the children wished to communicate through sign language, or to join them in their expression of anger.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]