WORTH WATCHING

Watch: A Fascinating Video About The Film That Changed South Korea

by Alex Billington
January 3, 2022
Source: YouTube

"And this is how evil persists - when good people do nothing." Indeed, an important reminder for all of us. Let's kick off 2022 with something a bit different - a fascinating video essay analyzing a film that changed South Korea forever. It's always a good reminder that international cinema is just as important as ever, and great films can actually make a difference in the real world. This essay discusses a 2011 film titled Silenced, directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk and originally released in 2011 in South Korea. Based on real events, this film depicts the story of a school for the hearing-impaired where young deaf students were sexually assaulted by the faculty members over a long period of time. The video is by "Accented Cinema", a Canadian YouTube video essay series with a focus on foreign cinema. I highly recommend watching this just to hear a different perspective on cinema and learn so much more about a film you probably haven't seen yet. View this below.

Thanks to Film School Rejects for the tip on this one. Intro from YouTube: "Silenced (2011) is a film based on true events that happened in a school. It is one of the most difficult film I have ever watched, but also one of the most important. It is a shame that it's virtually unknown in the west. Hopefully after this video, we can all appreciate this film for what it's done for our world." Yes, hopefully more will discover this film and it might have an impact outside of Korea, too. This video essay is part of the Accented Cinema YouTube series, launching new video essays bi-weekly. You can also follow the series on Patreon or follow on Twitter @AccentedCinema. The ending of this video is quite powerful: "it is so easy to become part of a system that enables abusers - all we need is to do nothing." I just hope other films can be this impactful, and not be seen as nothing but entertainment – this happens often nowadays. View more of Accented Cinema's videos here.

Find more posts: To Watch, Video Essays