The film was ordinary yet the sweet and innocent storyline led me to feel nostalgic towards my childhood, and remember lost loved ones.

Most of the beginning was a drag, but I guess it’s necessary in shaping up the story towards a remarkable end. The film reminded me of the anime ‘Ano Hana’, yet I don’t want to be so quick to judge.

I’m impressed that the actors were able to portray their roles well as some scenes, mostly Soo Ok’s disability and the other characters frustrations over the tragic demise, seemed convincing.

As heartbreaking as it is, I’m glad that the writers didn’t sugar-coat Soo Ok’s depression by forcing the character to have a tough and never-give-up outlook on life. Soo Ok’s attitude and decision depicted the harsh reality on how hopeless people can get on situations where there are no means of resolve.

The soundtracks, I’m captivated! The combination of western and korean songs was well thought of, and including Karla Bonoff’s edition of ‘The Water is Wide’ onto the film simply puts the cherry on top.

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Spoiler alert on this one. Can’t be helped.

Wasn’t expecting that the chain of events on this film would give us a glimpse into the frustrations of the LGBTQ community. Halfway through the movie, I started getting the idea but they laid it out so well. I must say, the people who worked behind this film are daring, considering that we still live in a world where most people make a big fuss about such topics and they casted on the roles of Phillip and Wado actors who are very masculine in real life(IIRC: years ago, one even stated on a talkshow that he feels weird being with gay people, but hey, people change!) The actors performed well except for Paulo Avelino’s awkward argument-with-dad part, and Derek Ramsey whose acting/accent on most scenes made me cringe. The scenic locations matched with the dreamy vibe of the background music. All in all I liked the story, they managed to convey the message on how everybody should forgive themselves more and to keep an open-mind on other people’s past, identity choices and the hurtful truths we cannot change. Would totally recommend this one.

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‘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.

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