(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
The women weave together. The shouts hail: "Korean whores!" – "Shameless whispers" – "Fuck off!" – "Go home". The flock continues with its head raised. Camera follows them closely. In the distance, young men with Japanese flags threaten. They roar hateful degradation against the small group of demonstrating grandmothers of 80 – 90 years.
A lot of grunting. The limited vulgar vocabulary of the yupplings against their well-organized soldiers' tributes. National emblems, headbands, banners and megaphones. Old ladies against brutal thugs in Tokyo – David against Goliath in double sense. These old adorned ladies are surviving sex slaves. The front line goes between these grandmothers and the Japanese state that legitimized the enormous abuse of their army during World War II. This absurd scene visualizes the nightmare.
Back black, but uplifting. About 200 000 girls and women from all over Asia were forced to be sex slaves for Japanese soldiers. These were called comfort women. The film is supported by strong testimonies from three survivors. Already by consistently titling these as "grandmothers," the film stands out from similar documentaries about sexual violence in war.
The main characters are filmed with immediate proximity, warmth and thoughtfulness. We are invited into the grandmothers' lives in China, South Korea and the Philippines. Large spectacular natural and urban landscapes enhance the experience of how extensive the organized abuse was. The documentary has a burning bad news and a cinematic epic gravity that makes it timeless.
The front line goes between the grandmothers and the Japanese state.
Canadian Tiffany Hsiung films himself, creating through a strong and stylish visuality air in a claustrophobic narrative. A Chinese mountain range in the gray light, a spartan country home, a furry face. Everything filmed with warm reverence. The subtle sense of light, shade and composition seduces. Defiant Grandma Cao, who cradles and cuts off in any weather, is depicted as in a Rembrandt painting.
The film takes an exceptionally good time to get to know the characters before the bestiality of the story is introduced. This grip makes me care more. The surviving comfort women in the Philippines dance closely together and laugh. The joy of life in the scene provides a poetic respite. A cloud of colorful balloons carried by the Philippine support group is the birthday tribute to Grandma Adele. She is one of the few survivors who found love and raised a family. But the others do not know that she is one of them; she has too much to lose.
Confrontation. In Seoul, South Korea, the support group is marking its 1000th demonstration since 1992, erecting a statue of a little girl – a comfort woman – outside the Japanese Consulate. The reactions do not fail. Grandmother Gil goes to Tokyo to demand redress. The Japanese prime minister mocks the survivors. Faithful supporters back Gil; a secure arm holds around a bent tired back. Grandma Gil is released by the mob. She's having a bad time; stood up late and will make up for it with results. Now it is urgent. The time that runs out is a central dramaturgical grip.
Mildly Gil replies to the Japanese: "I know you do not appreciate that we are here. It is not easy for a woman like me to come all the way to Japan from Korea. I don't know what you guys think of people like us who have been subjected to sexual abuse. ”His good-natured face is bombarded by lightning rain. A wall of attendance press. "I want to keep talking until I die. I humbly ask the Japanese government to tell the truth. As soon as we resolve the issue of comfort women, this war may finally end. "
Here lies the essence of the film. For the three grandmothers have the atrocities they were exposed to comfort stations received fatal consequences. They were prevented at various levels from returning to life. Active killings may have prevented them most.
Organic Confidences. Grandma Adele put her hand over the man's grave – she never dared tell him for fear of rejection. Now she wants to extract the thorn as poison. Adele calls and asks her son for a meeting – fails to tell why. The tension and discomfort in her quiver as she gets ready in front of the mirror. The closeness of the story touches.
The director gives up early to make an ordinary movie. She is investing six years to grow this story of sexual violence together with her grandmother's confidence. Her close relationship results in the film's ability to engage beyond the ordinary.
The film offers a violent emotional journey. For me, it was hard to hold back tears. A friend who stopped by wondered if the snuff was part of the soundtrack. The film touches so strongly that chronology and who entrust what becomes meaningless. I'm stunned. Shaky tales of children born and suffocated in captivity. Kidnapping from the home of 13-14 year olds, sterility and a life of shame and lies. And about the price of the truth pushing out. The wounds her grandmothers inflicted cannot heal until the silence is broken, until justice is achieved in the form of a direct apology and public acknowledgment.
Through a strong and stylish visuality, the director creates air in a claustrophobic narrative.
Grandma Cao reveals the secret to the adoptive daughter during filming; In China, abuse is non-thematic. grandmother Adele confides in her son. The son listens openly, leaning forward. Grandma Adele's face is covered in pain. The dialog has been removed. Street pictures pass behind them. They are on their way.
Grandma's story as a resource. Korean grandmother Gil is touchingly supported by the adoptive son who is now a minister. Relationship is moving loving. He insists that her speech on the atrocities of the UN is an honor. That her demand for redress may prevent it from happening again. Other scenes show her with engaged students. Now we see grandma fighting in the UN.
For Grandma Adele, the fight ended abruptly. The son sums up confessionally after her death: “I wish my mom had shared the secret with us before. She often sat alone and with a distant, distressed look. Imagine if she had let go of all that pain alone. 'But she wasn't alone in the end.
The film uses meta grip. Through video recording, the grandmothers become acquainted with each other. Young people internationally support their grandmothers via video greetings. This lifts the film into the present. The grandmothers are no longer alone. The truth is accelerating.
The movie is shown on Movies from the South 9.-19.november
