Hope (2013)

Definitely not a movie for the casual viewer. This has to be one of the most heart-wrenching movies I have ever seen. It was horrifying and saddening to know that this took place in reality. It tells the story of the infamous Nayoung case of South Korea and captured the pain as much as possible. Every bone and fiber in my body felt the little girl's pain. I cried when she cried and laughed when she laughed.

This movie is a true masterpiece by all aspects. It was so warming and I felt like it hit me in all the right places. Nothing felt overdone or underdone and the cast did a wonderful job of portraying people suffering from grief and tragedy. Although the movie is sad, it also has immense hope in it, much like its namesake. It is all about picking yourself up from the downsides of life and moving on with a smile. It forces you to think about all the harsh realities of the world and question the thin line between justice and fairness.

I have to really, really commend the stellar performances but on by the little girl and the actors who played her parents. It was too good to be true and felt too real. For a while, I lost myself in the movie and forgot that what I was seeing on my screen was not real. The irony is that it is real and at the same time not real. My heart goes out to the family of Nayoung and hope she is doing well in real life.

However, the reason to watch this movie is mostly to take a cue from it and smile in your life. This movie is indeed very inspirational and the direction is flawless. There are no bits of it I would want to change. Everything from the casting to the script were smooth and neat. A thorough masterpiece of a film that manages to capture a lot of reality and present it to you without any sugarcoat. It tells you how if you end up with a bitter candy, swallowing it won't make the bitterness go away. You rather have to live with chewing the candy and ingest the bitterness that comes along with it.

Do watch this movie if you are looking for something different. But be warned and prepare yourself with a box of tissues.

Lire davantage

I was waiting for this film eagerly. I was expecting a heartwarming family drama and also afraid of over-dramatic melodrama. Fortunately I wasn't disappointed and I got much more than what I expected.

Like many other real cruel stories another cruel story is made into film. This film is based on a rape case known as 'Na-young case'; in which an 8 year old girl was beaten and raped by an old man. I've a problem related to reality...
Now the problem is that the case is only 5 years old. Girl was 8 and now she's just 13 years old. Few years ago someone made a song on this & now this film caught lots of attention and I think it's extremely hard for family to overcome the trauma because of this film. Especially because this film came into light at the point where family was (probably) starting to forget this event. I'm not saying that it's wrong to make films on such cases but this film came too early.

I'll keep this short since I'm still buried under emotions.
Beginning of the film is very sad and can make anyone angry easily. It was painful to watch but those scenes don't last for long. After those painful scenes there is series of many beautiful scenes. Recovery of So-won (Victim), friends helping family, a lot of people trying to restart life of devastated family, family trying to be positive for future and make the daughter happier instead of crying over past that can not be changed. I loved father-daughter relationship most.

What I loved about this film is it's strength in stirring up emotions (of characters & our) in meaningful way. It's not like usual Korean films that force melodrama and turn into joke (Fly High, You're My Sunshine and many more!). Everything in this film is genuine...

Good:

-Genuine & unforced situations-emotions
-Great cast
-Music is excellent. I loved the long track played during recovery scenes of So-won.

Bad:

-Mistimed release (Related to reality, it's bugging me)
-I didn't notice any bad points. I was very busy in watching film.

Lire davantage

Even though what happened is unfathomable, despite all the tragedy, the deeper focus is on hope

A true story. Not the only one of this kind, unfortunately. This one took place in South Korea in 2008 and was filmed in the KMovie "Hope" in 2013. (In the original: "Wish" - the meaning of "Sowon", the name of the eight-year-old protagonist.)

This film production, which was shown in neighboring Asian cinemas, too, achieved great success largely through word of mouth. The story is shocking and touching, while the film adaptation laid its focus less on exploiting the crime itself, than on sensitively dealing with how it affected the little girl, her family, friends of family and classmates. It's less about the incredibly unscrupulous, brutal act than about the family's struggle to continue to come to terms with the unfathomable and the consequences on a wide variety of levels - psychological, physical, social, financial, legal, media-related and everyday practical.

“Hope” received quite some film awards. Despite all the heartbreaking tragedy, the KMovie deliberately intents to touch people in a positive sense. The KMovie wants to open up an, nevertheless, optimistic perspective towards a life 'after'. This, obviously, is tough and challenging. Surely it takes time and even more patience. Heart-rending in this context, for example, is the wonderfully authentic portrayal of the massively threatened father-daughter relationship. Unexpectedly, though, some light comes into the darkness. Sol Kyung-gu - in the role of a desperate father, whose daughter is in danger of slipping away from him due to her terrible experiences – apparently did not take off his distinctive costume throughout the entire shoot in order to maintain high contact with the emotions and their intensity the whole time. And Lee Re, in her debut on the big screen as an eight-year-old daughter, also touches the heart, as does Uhm Ji-won, who initially apparently didn't have the courage to take on her role of the mother. She is also deeply touching with her convincing acting that gets right under your skin.

Even though, what happened is and remains unfathomable, despite all the tragedy, the KMovie explicitly focuses on hope. This way, throughout those 122 stirring minutes it is not all grim all the time.














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SIDE NOTE: --- The Cho Doo-soon case ---
The story refers to a rape case from 2008, when a drunken 57-year-old man brutally raped an eight-year-old girl in a public toilet in Ansan. Being as brutal as he was, the girl suffered permanent damage. However, the man (who before had already been convicted of rape, among other things) got away with only 12 years in prison. He consequently kept up his mantra, that being so drunk that day he couldn´t remember anything. This had already helped him in previous cases. Here too, he was given mitigating circumstances due to his age, the influence of alcohol and his mental state.

The rape in Asan was extremely gruesome. (The details were not in so much details explicit in the KMovie and I also do not want to waste any letter for them here, either.) Suffering from her internal and external injuries, the girl was hospitalized for eight months. She took an artificial anus back home. Medical treatment was followed by psychiatric treatment. A year later she was at least stabilized enough to go back to school. But even several years later in 2020, she apparently can handle harmless cartoons on TV only, avoids any news and tough topics, i.e. she is still extremely fragile and unstable when it comes to the issues involving any violence at all.

The investigation and trial in this case from 2008 didn´t get covered in glory. On the contrary. The public outcry was great and extended, among other things, to a petition to the Blue House for retrial. The case also led to a number of legislative proposals being submitted by the Democrats, which would, for example, suggest to imprison repeat offenders of sexual offenses against minors in special facilities for life, or e.g. concern the legal handling of sexual offenses committed under the influence of alcohol. But in the end they didn't go through, nor did various petitions.

Instead, the electronic ankle bracelet was the method of choice when Cho Doo-soon was released in 2020. The cost of continuous monitoring of Cho Do-soon's electronic ankle bracelet during the first 4 months after release only, was estimated by the Ministry of Justice at over 200 million won (over 140,000 euros). In addition, apparently 71 security cameras were set up specifically to protect Ansan's residents from Cho, who still has his wife and his home there…

By the way, the infamous Cho Doo-soon case was also topic in the K-dramas "Taxi Driver 2", "Voice 4" and "Vigilante".

Lire davantage

hope is "journey of healing".

after reading synopsis of the movie, i thought its going to be very painful to watch assuming it has more dramatised facts than reality. coz, i find it real hard to watch children suffering than anything. i cannot buy melancholy. but i was wrong and i regret keeping this on hold for long time.

having said that, this story thankfully leaves gruesome details of crime aside. however we were made aware victim suffers physically. but its rather, more about aftermath of tragedy, which is neatly directed never being overboard.

it possibly has dealt every thing that girl and family had to go through. starting from catching criminal, physical disability, emotional trauma, money issues, parents helplessness, community acceptance, recovering and living normal life. but what made it even more special is father - daughter relationship. her fathers character felt so dear to me, it touched my heart and made me feel evey ounce of what he did for her. Also girl had to disconnect from all older men including her father. later realises that it was her father who is being her secret guardian angel through out is so rewarding to watch. also her thoughts while recovering and slowly accepting reality is touching as well as bitter sweet for me.

but what troubled me is actual case itself. ending is so agonising. i think all those who know about Nayoung case can figure it out. criminal judiciary system felt utterly crappy. also criminals words to her father were horrid. its worrying me to death.

overall, movie is quite inspiring as well as heartwarming, with stellar performances by actors.

Lire davantage

i'd just like to say that this is SO not a movie for just anyone. i've had this on my queue for quite some time, but was so afraid to tackle it because of the eloquent summary discussing some graphic events. it took me seven full days to come to terms with the things i've watched. least to say, i was crying like a little baby completely traumatized that this was based off the nayoung case in '08. with this in mind, i'll continue this review as i see fit.

dong hoon and mi hee are hitting a rough patch in their marriage. currently in the early trimester of her second child, mi hee has no idea how to tell her husband this brand of news, especially since the two are emotionally strained. dong hoon on the other hand is used to focusing more on his work while hiding away from his daughter, so won, whom he doesn't know how to connect with. so used to the ritualistic happenings of life, this family finds themselves being brought together by the horrifying news of their daughter's assault, struggling to heal when an outside force rips away so won's innocence.

i was sitting in my room last saturday with my word document flashing words of a crap essay that was supposed to be due wednesday. upon getting a notice that said i didn't have to exert myself because the deadline was moved to turnitin.com for tomorrow at midnight (bless the life of my professor), i thought to take a crack at something on netflix.

i was in a mood, okay? an instigating emotion that made me want to watch something that'd inevitably pull at my heartstrings. when i read the netflix summary for "hope", i thought: why not? i'd watched other movies just like this, but none executed the emotional delinquency as greatly as this had.

i couldn't breathe. i literally COULD NOT BREATHE. i found myself sitting there on my bed thinking the whole time "how the hell can this be true?" because it just can't! there are some really sick, twisted, and insidiously evil people to exist in this world. "hope" proves this to the fullest degree. the controversy's that surrounded this case regarded - first and foremost - the defendant's "state of mind", or so it was put forth as an argument. the fact that he committed these acts when drunk was actually something that the jury and judge took into consideration. it's completely outrageous and makes you want to reach out and punch someone in the face. because this is a child whose innocence was ripped away, who almost didn't make it, and can never lead a normal life again.

this movie is packed with some serious triggers for all of you sensitive hearts out there. be warned that though nothing is shown, they speak very graphically of the details that went on. what so won went through made it hard for me (someone who can handle literally anything) to keep watching in some instances. don't be fooled. though this is movie has been rated and reviewed highly on mydramalist, netflix, and more, it still packs a punch. be warned before you sit down and try watching this on your own accord.

now i'll speak a little on the way i've rated this. this story itself is based off - as i've said - the nayoung sase in '08, thus why i gave it an outstanding percentage. it's a story that we should all be talking about and looking at. it opens your eyes to the court system's rulings in korea along with the struggles of this family trying to get back to their lives while adjusting to what happened to their innocent daughter.

lee re, who portrayed hope, is really the star of the show. she's outstanding and mature in such an extraordinary story. sol kyung gu, who plays dong hoon, shows so much power in this movie as a father, it was just phenomenal. there's shock, sadness, betrayal, rage. no emotion is truly left untouched in this piece. the father/daughter dynamic between hope and dong hoon is worth it over all else. the only reason why i won't ever dare to watch this again is because of how traumatic the events were. i'm not saying this is a bad movie! my ratings and review in itself proves otherwise, but the sensitive topic is too much for me.

this is a masterpiece. anything else i say can't even compare to what i've seen. and if you have a care to see the beauty in something so hideous, then you should try it out with a lot of tissues.

Lire davantage

so I just finished this amazing movie.
I think every child in this world had experienced some kind of abuse in their childhood and some experienced more than the others.
I watched this movie while I knew its based on a true story so all along I was overwhelmed and my heart was filled with anger and sadness.
every day there are many children in our dirty little world who are dealing with rape and any kind of abuse and it's truly heartbreaking, they say life it's not just black and white but I think the dark side is much more than anyone can handle.
"hope" is a great movie to watch but if you can't handle an emotional movie like this right now, mabey you should watch it some other time
but remember to watch because stuff like this should be seen
I really hope someday we could live in a world that no child will ever experience anything like this

Lire davantage

‘Hope’ is a harrowing film that revolves around the accounts of the infamous 2008 Na-Young case where the 8 year-old Na-Young(a pseudonym) was raped and brutally beaten by a drunk 57 year-old man in a public squat toilet.

The film focused more on the emotional trauma that the victim and people around her went through during the tragedy.

Having gained nominations and awards, ‘Hope’ is a must-see film(though I wouldn’t recommend it to people who are easily offended by these situations). Dark yet uplifting, it is a poignant reminder that such injustice and heinous crimes still occur.

Negative side, if you did some research on the 2008 Na-Young case, you would find that they omitted and changed some minor details. I think it would’ve been slightly better had they added more facts into the film.

All in all the cast did an excellent job in performing their roles no matter how emotionally intense and physically demanding most scenes are. Actress Lee Re, as young as she was, gave an astounding performance on her role as Im So-Won. I hope she would continue and do much better when she grows up. I was heartbroken by the way she portrayed her character upon losing trust and smile during her process of healing and moving on. Also the inclusion of So-Won’s struggles with a colostomy pouch on the film was a great plus.

The film may have reopened old wounds, but it’s a necessity for people to be aware especially now that the case would be approached once more after 2 years.

Lire davantage

This film was heartbreaking as much as a reality check to all the sexual abuse cases that happen around the world. Huge trigger warnings if people do decide to watch this film. The beginning of the film started as two working class parents struggling to make ends meet (electricity bills, borrowing money, donations from other families) and Hope, a young girl with copious amounts of enthusiasm - for school and life. Fast forward to an hour of the film, where Hope talks to her therapist about how she understands why her grandmother used to talk about death so openly. Hope is depressed and recovering from her gruesome trauma while she is triggered by middle-aged men including her dad. Her dad looks at online forums on how to talk to a child who has experienced trauma.

Overall, it was a lovely film. The film shows the daily reality portrayal of dealing with post-trauma and how to rebuild life once again, or "go back to how things were" as Hope says.

Lire davantage

devastating

this movie was not easy to watch , i had to pause in between scenes to stop myself from going manic. what makes me sick is that this movie is based off true events and right now i am still trying to process everything from finishing the movie less than 5 minutes ago. it was heartwrenching throughout the whole movie. it is definitely not for just anyone to watch as you need to be mentally prepared as the events are triggering.

im still super pissed at the verdict given to the culprit because what the fuck ?? only 12 years after damaging a kid physically AND mentally that is costing her her whole life yet he only gets... 12 years... of prison.. because he was intoxicated with alcohol... when he did it.. hearing the words he said during the trial made me sick to my stomach, knowing he did what he did but still claiming to be innocent MY GOD ! headache just thinking about it..

Lire davantage

I always thought that this kind of films are hard to rate, afterall the topic "based on a true story" speaks for itself. Because of that, I will put more attention on the execution and how the story was translated into a movie.

Firstly, I had been putting off watching this for some years now. One of the reasons was because I thought it would be too graphic and maybe overly dramatized. I want to assure anyone having this thoughts that this is not the case! The film chooses to focus on the child and family's way of handling what happened without giving too much time on the offender. I think this was a very good idea. Many times, when it comes to movies that deal with sexual assault, rape or anything like this, the focus is put on the criminal, his doing, why and when and not enough on the victim and how her/his life has been influenced. Especially in the case of "child rape" I think it was very important to show how meaningful the family and community is.

Hope deal with a sensitive subject, it will make you angry, sad and frustrated but ironically it will also give you hope - that the future is more important then the past. I recommend this film to everyone without exception as I see it as a must-watch among all the movies in asian cinematography.

Lire davantage