Han Gong-ju (2013) Reviews

• Exceptionally well written treatment of most difficult subject

  Radu_A2015-05-25

  Korean film has been pretty tough on its homeland. Much non-romantic lore of late handles mishandled or downright criminal police procedure or judiciary mistakes, and/or rape and abuse based on true stories. Other than the impeccable technical credits one has gotten used to in Korean film, most of these films impress by a story-driven writing that has become somewhat lost in Western film, where drama tends to involve more of the individual actor's abilities of expression - that makes them sometimes a little emotionally overwrought to Western viewers; examples for this may be 'Way back home' (2013) or 'Sea Fog' (2014), which are very good films but sometimes overdo things a bit. 'Han Gong-ju' is different. It focuses almost entirely on its principal character, played with outstanding reservation by Chun Woo-hee. The story jumps unpredictably back- and forwards, making it initially quite hard for the viewer to follow. But what may seem a weakness is actually the film's greatest strength, because the viewer is left with no choice but to follow the events through Gong-ju's own eyes - therefore the ugly truth, once revealed, hits twice as hard as it normally would because the various tensions in the plot are allowed to build up slowly. The only weakness in my opinion is the actual scene of the crime, which could have been edited more respectfully, but then again this is a graphic age we're living in. In short, this is an exceptional character-driven piece about the most difficult subject of all to handle in film. A must for any serious cineast, but not for the faint of heart.

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• Exceptional Korean Film of a girl with a past

  t-dooley-69-3869162015-04-26

  Han Gong Ju is a young school girl who is suddenly up rooted from her home and taken to a new district to live and attend a new school. All we know is that there has been 'a scandal' at her old school and that she was directly involved. Her school teacher takes her to live with his mother - who runs a little supermarket. Han Gong Ju then tries to rebuild a life devoid of the past, but her curious detachment acts as a lure for some of her new class mates and try as she might the past always has a strange way of catching up with us. This is probably a slow burner, but the direction and pacing make it feel more immediate than it actually is. The performances are all sufficiently nuanced to keep one guessing as to what really happened and as such the past is done in a slow reveal through flash backs. The back story could have been fleshed out better but once gain we have enough hints and subtle asides that help put all the pieces together. This is one where your full attention is required, but that is quite easy as it is very gripping. Another great piece of cinema from South Korea.

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• Han Gong-Ju is delicate, intimate and horrible simultaneously.

  TheMovieDiorama2018-02-25

  Yet another soul draining experience where I'm left thinking "no wonder I have no emotions, films just drain them til I have none left". I mean this was powerful without the story being overly heavy handed, an impressive directorial debut from Lee Su Jin. Based on a sexual violence case in 2004, a young girl seemingly attempts to blend in when she transfers to a new school. Unfortunately though, her harrowing past catches up as she struggles to flee from it. It's no spoiler, it's been well documented and is in the synopsis, that the sexual assault was a horrific gang rape. That's not the purpose of this film. This is purely a character study on a psychologically and emotionally damaged girl who has been the victim of a disgusting crime. The sexual scenes were heartbreaking. To see someone go through that is not an easy watch, and is clear why this was an independent film. Any big production studio would've exploited this story and toned down the graphic nature. But it's required. It's a powerful visceral image that enhances the pain and suffering Han Gong-Ju is going through. This is a very intimate and personal character study. Her development as you see her slowly blossom and crawl out of this dark nightmare that is overshadowing her is perfection. Instantly you connect with her. You know from the first few scenes that something has happened to her to cause all of this grief. Chun Woohee gives an understated and nuanced performance, she is able to capture the fragility and tenderness of her character beautifully. The pacing occasionally feels sluggish, but it's dealing with an important subject so I appreciated the fact it took its time. The ending was slightly ambiguous, yet I was still gobsmacked. Han Gong-Ju is yet another brilliant addition to Asian cinema. I would only recommend if you are into serious mature dramas, some scenes will cause discomfort and distress...trust me!

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• Puzzle scenes and powerful character evolution.

  isellsoaps2015-09-23

  When I started to watch I was thinking that I was not paying enough attention because it was looking too weird and random. However, at minute 50 some of the main puzzle pieces pops out in your front and the whole thing makes sense. And overall, the main thing you cannot understand is WHY the girl could possible be guilty for that??? It was my questioning since the beginning. This all because you do not understand HOW in this world rape can be considered something that the girls are the only guilty on it. Yes, the world is big enough to have places like that. And I am pleased that someone in there brought this up to the screen. Something like this happens and the justice is not there. At least we can be aware that if it happens again, hopefully people can act differently. I certainly hope.

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• Long and disconnected.

  Hez12014-08-07

  Slow, scattered. Some subplot should have been trimmed or cut completely. The fundamental crime is a bit unbelievable, like a home invasion out of a horror movie, and that undermines the tower of disconnected scenes on top. The climax and the ending are rushed. A well shot and well acted film, but the lead had hardly anything to work with. For all the film's length, we know almost nothing about the main character's life before the incident, which makes it hard to relate to her. Her performance was good but with the languid pace and editing, and the drip feed script, she almost seems blank, but the film just manages to avoid this. The problem is, the film builds all this emotional weight on a somewhat sensational premise and this kind of trauma requires a treatment more committed to the character. Nobody helps her in the end, not the other characters, but not the director either, or the viewers, who really become voyeurs.

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