School violence, as told by three different films

Recent films like "Monster," "Brave Citizen" and "Toxic Parent" are shedding light on school violence, deepening understanding of the issue and challenging viewers to reflect on themselves as possibly being part of the problem.

The film “Monster” revolves around the single mother Saori, played by Ando Sakura, who visits her fifth-grade son, played by Kurokawa Soya, to school after noticing his increasingly strange behavior. [MEDIA CASTLE]

Has Netflix drama “The Glory” caused a butterfly effect resulting in an increase of films about school violence?

Films that capture the harsh realities of schools — bullying and breakdowns in communication between teachers, parents and children — have been making their way onto the silver screen more recently these days. These films, like Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Monster,” director Park Jin-pyo’s “Brave Citizen” and Kim Soo-in’s “Toxic Parent,” are deepening people's understanding of the core issues and changing social perceptions.

The movie “Monster,” which was released on Nov. 29 and won an award for Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival, is a joint work of Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda and Yuji Sakamoto, the writer of the child violence-themed series “Mother” (2010).

“Monster” revolves around a single mother, Saori, played by Sakura Ando, who visits her fifth-grade son, played by Soya Kurokawa, at school after noticing his increasingly strange behavior.

In dealing with the issue of violence at school, the film takes a unique approach. Rather than pinpointing one side as the source of the problem, the film conveys a message that prompts viewers to reflect upon themselves.

“The biggest monster is the instigating bystander,” Kore-eda said during a zoom interview with local reporters last month.

"When I first received the plot from writer Sakamoto, it was intriguing that I couldn’t figure out exactly what was happening, yet the tension persisted,” he said.

“Unknowingly, I found myself searching for the monster. It's not until the audience reaches Part Three that they begin to understand the situation. Many will likely realize then that the monsters were not somebody else, but themselves. The script ingeniously turns the arrow around in different directions, eventually pointing it back at oneself, which is a standout feature of this screenplay."

Kore-eda's perspective in the film “Monster” suggests that seemingly innocuous phrases like “normal” or “be a man” can be oppressive and hurtful to the children who hear them.

“If one were to find a monster in the film, it would be the bystanders, akin to us,” he explained.

“The film's classroom setting is an exemplified microcosm,” Kore-eda added. "The biggest monsters in that class are not the boys who tease and bully the protagonists, but rather those who hide their faces within the group, instigating from the sidelines."

The film “Brave Citizen,” based on the eponymous webtoon and released on Oct. 25, depicts a fledgling temporary teacher, played by Shin Hye-sun, taking retribution against a brazen and unprincipled student bully, played by Lee Jun-young. [MINDMARK, CONTENTS WAVE]

The film “Brave Citizen,” based on the eponymous webtoon and released on Oct. 25, depicts a fledgling substitute teacher, played by Shin Hye-sun, seeking retribution against a brazen and unprincipled student bully, played by Lee Jun-young.

The student bully leverages the school foundation to his advantage, and the narrative unfolds as the teacher, who has been working covertly — quite literally behind a mask — to protect a victim of school violence, ends up facing off against the bully in a ring, following his challenge to a duel.

The film not only addresses the struggles of students suffering from school violence but also touches on the incompetence of schools in handling such situations, along with the issue of violating teachers' rights.

In the story, the student repeats an extra school year to reach legal adult age. This part was added as the storyline involves physical fights between the teacher and student.

The film presents a fantastical solution to the seemingly unsolvable problem of school violence, aligning with the recent popularity of dramas dealing with characters taking revenge into their own hands.

"When adapting the original webtoon into a screenplay two years ago, people pointed out that the depiction of school violence in the script was too intense,” director Park Jin-pyo said. "Issues of school violence, teachers' rights and parental abuse of power, which we have been ignoring, are now coming to light."

In the film "Toxic Parent," Hye-young, played by Jang Seo-hee, refuses to accept the possibility of suicide suggested by a detective when she finds her exemplary daughter, who she thought had gone to school, dead. [TRIPLE PICTURES]

Another film, “Toxic Parent,” which premiered on Nov. 1, suggests that excessive parental love, though meant to be a protective fortress for their adolescent children, could instead be harmful.

In the film, Hye-young, played by actor Jang Seo-hee, refuses to accept the possibility of suicide suggested by a detective when she finds her exemplary daughter, who she thought had gone to school that day, dead.

Director Kim Soo-in, who debuted with this work, has skillfully woven in seldom-revealed realities of the issues faced by schools and adolescents.

She drew from her own experiences and stories heard during her time as an instructor in Daechi-dong, a region in southern Seoul known for its intense education.

The film is regarded as a reflection of the increasingly complex societal landscape surrounding school lives and young adults.

"In the past, films like 'Friend' (2001) highlighted violent teachers, but now there's a growing perception that, ultimately, the parents are the villains,” a film critic, psychologist and Prof. Shim Young-sub of Daegu Cyber University said.

Film critic Heo Nam-woong also said that “school violence can no longer be resolved with the old dichotomic approach of victim and perpetrator, as the issues are becoming more and more complex.”

“In that sense, ‘Monster’ teaches us that we cannot sympathize with students’ concerns using outdated methods, and that the adults should take things a step further by employing a third-person perspective,” Heo added.

BY NA WON-JEONG [kjdculture@joongang.co.kr]