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9th DMZ Docs(2017)

I AM DOCU



Friends

Kim Min-seo, Kim Nam-ju, Lee Sung-jae

  • Korea
  • 2017
  • 12min
  • DCP
  • color

Synopsis

Sora is the disable with second-tier of hearing loss and she joined a performance team in Haja production school. With a question of ¡°How has she conducted the performance with her disability for the last 3 years?¡±, we began recording her life with her friends at school. One day, the hearing aid device in her ears failed and Sora suddenly can¡¯t hear anything at all.

Review

This impressive scene of silence in the opening of the film helps the audience experience the conditions of Sore who is hearing impaired. She attends Haja Production School, an alternative education institute for school dropouts, and plays in a musical performance team. The documentary film shows how she communicates with her friends and how much she enjoys her school life.

Being hearing impaired, she has a cochlear implant in one ear and wears a hearing aid in the other. In the film, she listens carefully to the sound of musical instruments, asks her friend a question, and practices her instrument just like any other normal student. It is a common misperception that a person with impaired hearing is not able to enjoy music. Instead, Sore is skilled enough to teach her friends without disabilities how to play her musical instrument. Her friends at school have never had any difficulty in communicating with her and even hardly felt that she is different while she is playing her instrument. However, it is not the case for Sore. If her hearing aid does not work well or if she cannot see the mouth of the person speaking, Sore would have a trouble communicating clearly. The following scene illustrates in her own narration how Sore, a hearing-impaired person, hears and communicates with others, which makes her look a little bit lonely. Actually, it may feel lonely if no one understands what you hear or if you don't understand what others hear.

It may not be natural to insist that anyone with physical challenges be treated equally with their non-disabled counterparts. It is important for able-bodied people to reject social discrimination or prejudice against those with disabilities. But it is also important to try to understand the circumstances of the physically challenged in their shoes. The directors of this film entered the world of Sore by understanding the different way of hearing. Now they narrates the importance of such an approach in this film. [Kyung Hee-ryeung]

Director

  • Kim Min-seo

    Change or Wait (2016)

  • Kim Nam-ju

    Friends (2017)

  • Lee Sung-jae

    Friends (2017) 

Credit

  • Cinematography Kim Min-seo, Kim Nam-ju
  • Editor Kim Min-seo, Kim Nam-ju

Distributor & World Sales

Distribution & World Sales  Kim Min-seo, Kim Nam-ju

E-mail  hisanahosu@gmail.com​