Inspired by a horrifying case of child rape in South Korea, Hope brings a fresh approach to a difficult subject matter, and by focusing on the victim’s recovery, ultimately delivers technically flawless feel-good human drama, guided by the steady hand of producer-director Lee Joon-ik (King and the Clown). The film’s breakthrough performance comes from Lee Re (7 at the time of filming), as the 8-year-old victim who is considerably more mature in many respects than her elders. The real-life event, known as the Na-yeong Case, took place in December 2008. It also involved an 8-year-old girl, and the serial offender getting off lightly with a 12-year sentence that sparked public outrage.

Movie rating: 8.2 / 10 (9045)

Directed by: Ji-hye Kim - Joon-ik Lee

Writer credits: Ji-hye Kim

Cast: Hae-suk Kim - Lee Re - Sang-ho Kim - Mi-ran Ra - Kyung-gu Sol

AKA: Wish, So-won

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