Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Child abuse movie 'Go Back' moving and timely yet unconvincing
Actress Park Ha-seon in a scene from the film “Go Back” / Courtesy of Little Big Pictures
By Kwak Yeon-soo
By Kwak Yeon-soo
The tragic death of a 16-month-old baby last year, as a result of her adoptive parents' chronic, repeated abuse, shocked the nation, sparking a public debate about better ways to protect children from violence, which has resulted in the revision of the law on child abuse. The revised law calls for dispatching police to sites where abuse has been reported and separating children from their abusive parents.
Despite the strengthened legislation, the tremor felt from the poor baby being lost is still being felt.
The upcoming crime drama, “Go Back,” raises public awareness of child abuse and holds adults accountable for neglecting children vulnerable to domestic violence.
“Go Back” follows the story of a child named Bo-ra (Gam So-hyun), who disappears on the day of a mysterious kidnapping. The kidnapper demands that the public collect 100 million won ($89,465) within seven days, or otherwise they will kill the child.
Police officer Ji-won (Ha Yun-kyung) suspects social worker O-sun (Park Ha-seon), who has an unusually strong emotional attachment to abused children. The social worker later gets laid off because she overreacts to Bo-ra's abusive father by grabbing him by the collar. Coincidentally, O-sun disappears with Bo-ra on the day the child's father is found dead at home.
“Whenever I read an article about child abuse, I am angry but feel helpless. There was pressure that came from the subject matter, and I had to be more careful,” actress Park said. “As a mother myself, I thought I need to participate in the project to help those in need and make a difference in society.”
Child actor Gam So-hyun in a scene from the film, “Go Back” / Courtesy of Little Big Pictures
Director Seo Eun-young tracks O-sun's traumatic experience of being a child abuse victim with her keen observation, and questions, “if kidnapping a child to protect them from abusive parents can be justifiable.”
The film allows us to contemplate how much we should get involved in a child abuse case, and what kind of fallout it could generate if and when we overlook it, considering it merely a “family matter.”
Park's acting transformation is also noteworthy, given that she's played bright roles in sitcoms and TV series like “High Kick 3” (2011) and “Birthcare Center” (2020).
Although the film is deeply moving and timely, it fails to draw its audience in ― it's hard to follow the story partly because it's not set up in chronological order.
Moreover, the film's point of view is somewhat inconsistent. It is told from three different characters ― Ji-won, O-sun and Bo-ra ― and thus it's easy to lose the nuances. Overall, the scenes are too dark to see the actors' facial expressions clearly.
“Go Back” will hit local theaters, Feb. 24.