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Presented at the 21st International Festival of Asian People's Cinema in Udine, in northeastern Italy, Innocent Witness , the latest feature film by South Korean filmmaker Lee Han, treats with finesse, sensitivity and humor of a serious subject: autism. A human development disorder still little or poorly known to the general public in the country of calm morning.
From our special envoy to Udine,
An employee is accused of murdering her old depressed boss. Would she have deliberately defended or simply tried to prevent him from committing suicide? There is only one witness: an autistic teenager who witnessed the drama scene from her house across the street. Who will judge and jurors believe? A young girl with a neurodevelopmental disorder, traumatized by what she saw and heard, or a dedicated housekeeper? This is the plot of Lee Han's seventh fiction.
" In Korea, people with mental disabilities have long been ostracized, often hidden by their own families for fear of the eyes of society. When children are autistic, we blame parents. Today, it is still the case, even if mentalities are changing. There are nowadays specialized structures to accommodate these children, "says the director, who says he discovered the world of autism by making this film.
" Contribute to better acceptance of autistic people "
Before filming, Lee Han had to do a lot of research, meet autistics, doctors and specialists. " Autistic people do not always live in their mental universe, they can also communicate with the world. I hope that my film will contribute to better understand and accept . To achieve this goal, the filmmaker has used stars like the one who plays with perfection the role of the young autistic, Kim Hyang-gi, born in the year 2000 and who began the profession of actress from his childhood. Another celebrity: Jung Woo-sung, a true star in his country and in the rest of the Far East. He brilliantly embodies a lawyer first torn between idealism and materialism, before turning out to be a good man.
A film full of humanity
Innocent Witness is a film full of humanity. Although it deals with a serious subject, the scenes oscillate between sadness, seriousness and humor, with strong and moving moments. A clever mix coupled with an effective scenario that contribute to its success. Released in theaters in February 2018 in Korea, it has totaled more than 2.5 million admissions.
Here, in Udine, Innocent Witness seems to have also conquered the thousand spectators present in the room, they have long applauded the team of the film at the end of the projection.
The 21st International Festival of Popular Asian Cinema in Udine takes place from April 26 to May 4, 2019.
▶ For more information : www.fareastfilm.com