Silenced

Buddy Elledge

“Silenced” is the kind of movie that people still think about after watching it because it had a huge impact on all of us and made us more aware of what’s the world is like for unprivileged children as the adults are taking advantage of them. 

Silenced is based on a novel by Gong Ji-young, “Dogani”. (2009). It is a heavy exposé of a real life crime of sexual abuse of deaf children in a South Korean deaf institute by their teachers and their principal. The most fascinating part was the story behind the film. There was a young man named Gong Yoo who read “Dogani” while serving in the (South Korea) military and felt that it should be made into a movie. Yoo met up with the writer of the book, Gong Ji-young, and they both have decided to work on the film together. That young man Yoo acted as the main character as an art teacher in this film. In the novel, the art teacher helped the students to speak up for their own rights in the court and eventually they won the 2005 trial.

It was one of the most powerful films I had ever seen since Schindler’s List. Yes, it is as definitely as powerful as Schindler’s List!  Some of my friends were saying it’s overly graphic for them, but I applauded for the cast and crew of “Silenced” for their bravery and willingness to make this film happen. I highly recommend this film to everybody- deaf and hearing people, but it’s better if you watch it with a friend or a group of friends.