hankyoreh

By Song Ho-jin　

The decision to finance the film “The Crucible” was not an easy decision for investors. “The film was as consistently heavy as the novel, and the ending left audiences stunned rather than certain that justice prevailed, so investors were very concerned,” said Eom Yong-hun, president of Samgeori Pictures, the film’s production company. But Eom said he was “staggered” at the response from audiences and society in general. “It was faster than we had anticipated,” he said.

The film crossed the one million-viewer mark Tuesday, five days after its Sept. 22 premiere. With its first-place standing in booking and seat occupancy, its box office does not appear likely to drop off any time soon. It is also leaving viewers satisfied, with a rating of 9.5 points out of 10 on a major Internet portal site where Internet users grade films. The response is exceptional, given that the film debuted after the Chuseok holiday theater rush, is restricted to adults, and deals with the weighty subject matter of a real-life case of sexual abuse against children with disabilities.

Interest in the 2009 source novel is also heating up with the film’s box office success. Gong Ji-yeong’s “Crucible” rose to first place on the best seller list, passing the million-seller “It’s Youth Because It Hurts.”

Analysts are attributing the film’s success to the way it highlights a forgotten case and indicts those in power, drawing tears and indignation from viewers. The performances of Gong Yoo as art teacher Gang In-ho, Jung Yu-mi as a human rights center secretary, and various child actors also contributed to drawing viewers into the story. While it sticks to the solid narrative of the novel, the novel makes the cinematic decision to forgo minor elements and move quickly to the courtroom scenes, which contributes to preventing the tempo from flagging.

Some observers are also saying “The Crucible” touched upon a sense of righteousness and anger among audience members at a time when the desire for justice is strong across society.

Film critic Ahn Si-hwan said, “For the past few years, we have seen almost no South Korean films that actively examined the state of our society, the values of what is right, and what we need to do the way ‘The Crucible’ does.”

Ahn added that the film “could lead to the planning of more films that speak out for the truth.”

As the film’s social influence spreads, the production company is planning to request another review to lower the admission age so that more viewers can see it.

“We are thinking of removing a few of the scenes showing violence and sexual assault and requesting another rating some time around next week,” said director Hwang Dong-hyuk.

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