'The Roundup' sends wrong message about mental illness, say rights advocates

Several organizations dedicated to the rights of disabled people are holding a press event in front of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea building in Seoul, Thursday, condemning the film's negative portrayal of mental illness. Yonhap

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Several organizations dedicated to the rights of disabled people have criticized the new film “The Roundup” for fueling prejudices by depicting a character with a mental disability as a danger to the public.

A group of seven organizations, including the Korea Association for Mental Disorders and the Research Institute of the Differently Abled Person's Rights in Korea, held a press event in front of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) building in Seoul on Thursday, calling on authorities to ban screenings of “The Roundup.”

The controversial scene occurs in the beginning of the film where a man, who escaped from a mental hospital, threatens the police and public with a knife as he holds two women hostage inside a supermarket.

Disability rights organizations said the film is an example of how stigma against people with disabilities is embedded in our culture.

“Describing people with mental illnesses as violent and dangerous criminals is offensive, hurtful and damaging. Presenting a character with a disability who poses a threat to the public is sending the wrong message,” they said.

“It makes the public perceive people with mental illnesses as harmful and violates their human rights.”

A poster of “The Roundup” is set up at a movie theater in Seoul, June 1. Yonhap

In addition to filing a petition against “The Roundup” with the NHRCK, the organizations demanded a public apology and a meeting with the producers of the film. They claimed that they had filed a complaint with the film's production company on June 14, but haven't heard back since then.

Meanwhile, the hit crime action film has been banned in Vietnam over the film's violent content. The film presents police detectives' journey to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to extradite a suspect who is known to commit crimes against Korean tourists in the Southeast Asian country.

Lotte Entertainment had applied for film certification in May for “The Roundup” from the Department of Cinema, a Vietnam government agency responsible for licensing and censoring foreign films, but was banned from distribution.

However, some critics point out that the film's portrayal of Ho Chi Minh City as lawless may have been the main factor influencing the Vietnamese authority's decision to ban the film. This is not the first time a Korean film was banned in Vietnam. In 2012, CJ CGV's aviation action drama film “R2B: Return to Base” was banned in Vietnam because of a scene featuring a battle between South and North Korea.

“The Roundup” has surpassed 12.5 million ticket sales as of Friday, becoming the 14th-most-watched film of all time in Korea.