Hope (2013)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

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.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

SLIGHT SPOILERS (BUT IF YOU KNOW WHAT THE MOVIE IS ABOUT, YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW IT ENDS) The fact that the movie focused on Hope's journey from a sweet little girl to her recovery is great. It shows how hope can change someone's perspective of life. (In the film's case, The Father saw his blurry relationship with his daughter after the incident and never lost hope as he tries to reconnect with her) The acting. PERFECT!

There are those films that are so poignantly powerful, that they stay with you forever, even if you only see it once. Such movies that have left a permanent imprint upon me are movies like this one, "Schindler's List," "Sophie's Choice," "Platoon" and still others. These are films that are so disturbingly realistic because they hit you right where you live. I'm a TEFL teacher who has taught in four different countries, including South Korea. The most depraved crime that always hits me the worst are those perpetrated on children. I've had many children as students over the years, and even the mere thought of something happening to them pains me beyond comprehension. We like to think that there aren't any monsters out there, but sadly, there are. What makes it even more frustrating are inept justice systems, like the one in Korea, that more or less, rewards the criminal based on some insane notion that, just because the criminal can't remember anything due to his intoxication, then he deserves a lighter sentence. Still, this film is touching in the power of family and friends who rally behind Hope, doing everything that they can to help her and her family recover. I cannot imagine anything more distressful for a parent than to endure something like this. As a parent, all you want to do is protect your children and make sure that they're safe. Hope's father is especially traumatized when he attempts to help clean his daughter up after escaping the maddening media, only to discover horrifically that she's pleading and crying for him to stop. In his attempt to help her, he partially relives and reawakens her assault. The way in which Hope's father tries to reach his daughter is pure love and magic. He feels that the only way to help her is to step back himself and take on the persona of her favorite cartoon character. If these precious moments don't strike a chord with you, then I really don't know what can. Another powerfully touching moment is her schoolmate who comes to see her after she's come home. He bursts into tears, wracked with guilt, for not having walked with her to school on that fateful day. Hope's father is especially sweet in comforting him.Hope has to recover, not only from the assault, but from the effects as well, both physical and psychological. I had a colostomy for the first five years of life, so I know what it's like and what it means to be different in that way. That resonated deeply with me. The performances in this film are outstanding, especially Re Lee (Hope) who plays the role with such sweetness and purity that you cringe and pray, that what is about to happen, doesn't happen. She has the face of an angel, which makes all the more horrific. Nothing truly graphic is shown, but a couple of images are likely to stay with you. Kyoung-gu Sul (Hope's father) also turns in a powerful performance as a distraught father trying to heal his daughter as well as deal with the his own anger and outrage concerning Choi (the assaulter) and the inept legal system. Just as he has helped to save Hope, Hope saves him in the end."Hope" is one of those movies that I will likely only be able to watch once, but I've already discovered the once is more than enough for me. I can only pray helplessly that no child should ever endure something so terrible as this. If only we lived in a world where this was true. Children, with their innocence and purity, cast the brightest light, and among the brightest is certainly Hope's.

This is pretty heavy stuff, the movie does not hold back any punches when it comes to emotional weight. It is a drama of high quality. It feels as real as it can get, without losing its touch with the viewer. I watched another drama recently, where a character had to cope with a heavy blow to his ordinary life.But it didn't handle the story as well as this movie does. The viewer stays connected and is along for the ride. It's not easy, but the movie walks the line and knows how to keep the viewer attached and bewildered at the same time. No small fee if you ask me and really a heavy burden that we carry with the characters ... But even with the long running time the quality never lets you down ...

This film offers an intense emotional experience. There are a few flaws, however, in the end, the only thing that ends up mattering is the well being of this child who endured such a horrific fate. But now on to the film making aspect and what makes this movie so effective. To begin with, the acting is great. One thing that stands out about Korean movies to me is the child acting, I've watched 3 Korean films this week with 3 excellent child actress'.First Train To Busan, then The Wailing, and now the best out of the 3, Wish, or Hope, or Su-Won, or whatever. The point is, her acting was fantastic, and so was the rest of the cast. Reading the plot description of the movie makes it sound as though the movie will be depressing, which it obviously is. However, the beauty of humanity shines through more then the horrific tragedy that befell this girl. The way everyone comes together to help her was presented in a powerful way that brought me to tears. This never happened to me during a movie before, but this movie did it, I actually cried. The development of the relationship between Su-Won's parents is believable and engaging. The actress that plays Su-Won is incredibly talented and was the best part of the movie. There are a small amount of minor flaws with the film, but they don't stand in the way of the pure emotional experience this film gives the audience, and because of the movie succeeding on that level, I will not rate it less than a 10. But also the rating I see on IMDb is 8.5, which is too low for this movie, and a 10 rating will help that, so that's what I'm doing. This review may not have been the best, but honestly you should just experience the movie for yourself, it's sitting on Netflix right now.