It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

... it's hate overflowing my body. This movie is a good as it is gets. It is rare that I want to grab a movie villain's neck and strangle him but in this case, I don't care what else I'll see the principals and the teacher in. They'll always be the manipulative child abusers I have just witnessed. This movie has simply left me shocked which is rare. I had no problem watching A Serbian Film but this movie had one specific scene that made me gag. The bathroom scene with Min-soo's little brother. I had to rewatch to be sure it was just a doll. But as soon as I noticed the "doll" move I was so close to throw up. That is something I have never seen in ANY movie! Though it was disturbing I must give a standing ovation to the actors in that scene. How brave of them to put themselves in that kind of scenario.Speaking of actors, can you get any better child actors?! Jesus Christ on the cross, these kids are so good, I would not be surprised if I was watching a documentary. Defintely a good watch... if you have the stomach for it. Make sure to be hydrated though, otherwise the tears will dry you out.

If you were asked on how to make a movie out of a real event, then this is how it's done. The real events were so cruel, yet this movie is able to explain them in such a way that it's not disgusting without misleading the message they want to tell. I've only seen very few South Korean movie, but out of those few this one is definitely the very best.In fact, since this movie later sparked a national protest against the punishment for rapist, this could be one of those movie in the entire world that has a great social impact. For me personally, I felt the sadness, anger and disappointment in the faces of those children. It's like I wanna protest too now!! I always like to compare this movie to the Japanese movie titled Nobody Knows / Dare Mo Shiranai. Although they don't bear similar plot, both are actually based loosely on a true event. Howeve, Nobody Knows seems to tell the story in a too soft way. Dogani instead is a super great story telling of the actual event.AWESOME MOVIE!

Sunny and Silenced are two Korean films I have watched in 2012 and both are excellent. Silenced is a poignant and depressing movie based on a true event that happened in a special school where the deaf children are abused by the Principal and teachers. In the first half of the movie, the horrible abuses are unveiled one by one. The second half is a courtroom drama.The movie is an emotional ride which tugs at your heartstrings. At the scene in which the teacher is on the verge of tears and the boy cries his eyes out and struggles to express his overwhelming pent-up emotions upon knowing that his grandmother has forgiven the culprit, some members of the audience will be moved to tears. Where might is master, justice is servant, which is cruel, but real. It is also uplifting to see the teacher remain steadfast in his determination to bring the culprits to justice, despite his daughter's plight.As for the setting, the misty mountains and creepy campus create an eerie atmosphere. I also love the montage at the beginning of the movie. The kid is just like the deer, innocent and pure.The perversion of justice prevails when Christians are blinded by their unquestionable faith, teachers are heartless, policemen, lawyers, the judge and the security guard are corrupted by money, civil servants shirk their responsibility and shift the work onto others and others remain silent. Martin Luther King is right. In the end, we remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. Amid those humans who are evil but influential in society, justice is shrouded in a thick gray mist.

Watched "Silenced" here on DVD with English subtitles. Didn't really know what to expect from the film before going in, but came out shaken, angered and left with the feeling of having seen a powerful film that can bring about positive change. The basis for the movie is purported to be based on a true story which makes things all the more striking. Having not watched "Children..." a Korean movie that came out earlier this year also based on a true story, my closest point of reference is Bong Joon-Ho's by now classic film "Memories of Murder". "Silenced" doesn't possess the master of cinema feel that "Memories of Murder" has, nor does it have the first mover advantage in its story, but "Silenced" is able to deliver the same (if not more) type of jolt to the viewer which is really saying something. Some criticism I had for the film were 2 scenes felt just too graphic and a few other times the movie seemed to carry a far too simpleton feel, but in hindsight I'm guessing both of these points originated from the filmmaker's desire to have maximum impact with the largest group possible. In that case, the filmmaker got his wish. While walking out of the theater I did feel energized from having watched something so moving and also filled with fear & anger at just how wicked some parts of society can become. Performance wise, I thought Gong Yoo was good and Jung Yu-Mi was her usual great self. There was a final scene with Gong Yoo holding a bible in the middle of the street that didn't move me as much as I thought the scene wanted. Maybe I was just too exhausted from having witnessed humanity at its darkest hour prior to that. The movie also featured large amounts of court-room drama in the second half which I really enjoyed. "Silenced" has already brought in a lot of people into the theaters in South Korea and also opened a lot of eyes to the injustices that occurred in South Korea just a few years ago (2005). I think "Silenced" is a film that will likely leave you in a state that only a few others films probably can. Be prepare to be moved when you watch it.