丨This article was first published in the Pippi movie
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This past August 14th is the world's "comfort women" day, and it is difficult for each of us to forget.
On the topic of "comfort women", just mentioning these three words makes people feel heavy.
According to statistics, in the years when Japan launched the war of aggression against China, a total of 200,000 Chinese women were devastated.
As the decades passed, the number of survivors was gradually decreasing.
In order to let future generations firmly remember this history, director Guo Kepai has successively filmed documentaries "Thirty-Two" and "Twenty-Two", using the memories of those who have witnessed it to take us back to look back at that tragic history.
As the country grew stronger, our survivors have been appealing to the Japanese government since 2000, but regrettably, until the death of the last "comfort woman" to sue Japan, there was no waiting for the apology that should have been said long ago.
In fact, China is not the first country to file a complaint, neighboring South Korea began this extremely difficult and long road in the 1990s, and the first survivor of the "comfort women" who officially initiated a lawsuit - Han Man-eun.
And this event was also adapted into a movie, which is what we are going to talk about today as "Her Story".
"Her Story" 丨2018
Herstory
Director: Min Kuidong
Starring: Kim Ae-ae / Kim Hae-sook / Yeo So-kyung / Moon-sook / Lee Yong-nü / Kim Sun-young / Kim Joon-han / Lee Young-yeol / Choi Byung-mo / Jeong In-ki
In South Korea in the 1990s, the economy was developing rapidly, but the survivors of the "comfort women" who had been humiliated and persecuted lived in poverty, scattered in the ends of the world, most of them without relatives and living on low security.
In 1991, a south Korean travel agency had a prostitution scandal, and the Korean folk customs of that era were still extremely conservative, and the travel agency had to do something social welfare to reverse the bad brand image.
So they set up a comfort women and stand-up victims' service center, hoping that such a move would change the public's impression of them.
Although Ms. Wen, the president of this travel agency, organized such a public welfare center, she still wears colored glasses in her heart, ostensibly defending the rights and interests of these victims, but behind the scenes, she points to the survivors of the "comfort women" on TV and "warns" her daughter: "If you make a mistake like them, your life will be ruined." ”
Why is there such a sound?
Because on August 14, Kim Gaku-soon, a South Korean comfort woman victim, stood up and publicly announced in the Asahi Shimbun to prosecute Japan's inhumane animal behavior.
For a time, countless waves were stirred up, and some people encouraged the victims to bravely stand up and ask for compensation, but there were also many voices of opposition, believing that they were "equivalent to selling themselves and should feel ashamed", how could they still appear in front of the public to seek support.
In fact, at that time, many people did not know enough about this history and lacked a correct understanding of the "comfort women", so the society could not understand them, and most survivors did not want to disclose their names and appearances, only hoping to receive some subsidies to spend the rest of their lives in dismal conditions.
However, something happened that changed President Wen's opinion.
Once, the nanny aunt of the family suddenly resigned after seeing the "comfort women" press conference on TV, and what she did not expect was that the aunt was actually a victim of that year.
Because of this sudden farewell, President Wen began to re-understand her deeply, and also found that the aunt decided to sue Japan for compensation in order to treat her mentally ill son.
After a long conversation with his aunt, President Wen felt very deeply, and his heart could not be calmed for a long time.
Because of the goodness of human nature, President Wen, who was deeply touched, took the initiative to hire a lawyer, bear all the costs, and began a long road of litigation.
In 1993, they participated in the first trial after filing a lawsuit, and these innocent elderly people not only failed to say a word in court, but also met with resistance from many Japanese people, believing that they were supposed to protect themselves and now come out to sell their claims.
Despite so many difficulties and obstacles on the road to the first prosecution, President Wen, lawyers and victims bravely persevered.
Year after year passed, and after running and appearing in court again and again, the victims gradually dared to face up to that memory and publicly recounted the inhuman treatment they had experienced in court.
Some of them, even pregnant women, were cut open and threw their babies to the ground, some of them were tattooed on their stomachs, some of them were infected with diseases and their whole bodies were so swollen that they could not insert a needle, and some of them were full of scars.
They cried out in pain and despair for me to go back to seventeen.
Every accusation, every tear, every cry, is like a needle that deeply pierces the audience's heart.
Six years have passed like this, president Wen and the victims are still running for Japan's apologies and compensation, and some grandmothers have died in the past six years, but this experience has also allowed more people to understand this history and give them selfless help.
However, every time he attended the trial, the Japanese side always had no remorse and stood tall.
Years later, these survivors still cannot receive a sincere apology from the Japanese government.
At the end of the film, Japan, under pressure from south Korea, had to compensate the victims of that year, but refused to apologize publicly.
At the end is a newspaper reporting that only 2 of the plaintiffs in the Sekika trial are still alive.
The story ends abruptly.
They have suffered countless physical injuries, and they have felt too much cold and warm eyes in the courtroom, but in reality, they still cannot find spiritual comfort.
And President Wen also gave up his career for these old people, from an ambitious strong woman to an old man who was trampled by the years.
The film is also based on South Korea's famous "Sekibu Judgment" incident, and it is also the first case of "comfort women" that has won so far, and it is also the only case.
In order to win this only "short victory", the Korean plaintiff group lasted 6 years, traveled to and from South Korea and Japan 23 times, and spent about 12 million yuan, all of which were provided by The president of the travel agency played by Kim Ai.
The film was released in June this year and became a big sensation.
In fact, in recent years, South Korea has taken many excellent works on the theme of "comfort women".
Such as the tear-jerking "Ghost Town" in previous years, to last year's high-scoring warm film "I Can Say", and then to the "Big Cold" at the beginning of this year, and the "Her Story" recommended by Pigo today.
We would like to thank the existence of these films, which remind us time and again that history cannot be forgotten, and at the same time remind us of the need to be strong in our country.
This is also the social significance and value conveyed by the film.
For years, the issue of "comfort women" has been repeatedly shunned by the Japanese government, both in China and South Korea, trying to erase history by waiting for the death of its victims, and it is even more difficult for survivors to hear an apology.
Today, the number of "comfort women" elderly people is rapidly decreasing, and China has changed from 32 to 22 in 2014, and today, only 7 of the 22 elderly people are still there.
Although they are old and have been tortured by those cruel atrocities, they are now shouldered with the task of nationality, country and history, so that the world knows about the atrocities of the Japanese army and make efforts for the justice of that period of history.
They are not comfort women, they are real heroes.
Hats off to this group of old people.
Text/Pippi Film Editorial Department: Fat Fat
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