Silenced (도가니, aka Dogani, Korean; 2011)
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
This movie highlighted the deficiencies in Korean Law regarding the statute of limitations for sex crimes against minors and the disabled. Under this realisation, the people demanded
change for the National Assembly to pass a bill in late 2011, often referred to as the Dogani Bill (named after the movie), to abolish the limitations and increase jail terms for this offence.
This is a difficult movie to watch.
A new art teacher reports for duty in a school for the hearing impaired. He soon discovers the wrongdoings of the principal, teachers and board members, who overtly profess to work the way of God. After getting confessions from two preteen students, the teacher springs into action with the help of a social worker. Despite facing obstacles at many levels, the police, the legal officers and the church members, they persevere. On his home front, the teacher had lost his wife, who took her own life and a young daughter, who was living with his mother in another town.
Closer to home, this film reignites our sympathy for the victims of an orphanage recently exposed by the Malaysian police. In that incident, the police rescued 400 young kids from sexual assaults. The officer in charge of the establishment came out publicly to say that the board was aware of wrongdoings in the homes and was in the process of counselling the perpetrators. They did not feel that it was criminal, needed to be blown over, and they were doing what was right. Funny, the crime was made known to them years ago.
