SYNOPSIS
Yolanda, a female teacher, cannot find the best methods to teach the marginalized children of the slums because of their different origin. Mario, a worker in a bus factory and a typical macho man, is confronted by Yolanda\'s instinct for emancipation. The two nonetheless become lovers. Their relationship portrays the idea that racism, sexism, and class-based prejudices must be demolished in order to succeed.
Marleen GORRIS¡¯s first feature Question of Silence has since become a feminist film classic. Three completely normal women commit a murder which seems to have no motive. This murder along with their inexplicable silence depicts the powerful anguish of women towards male oppression of women from diverse sectors of life. A housewife, a secretary and a waitress beat the owner of a clothing store to death. The three women, excluded and discriminated even within their own social field, express their anger through the extreme means of murder. The other women customers quietly leave the store when everything is over. Each of the three women is arrested in turn. Though the court brings in a psychiatrist to evaluate the mental state of these women, the women hold their silence. The other women who were shopping in the clothes store during the murder arrive in court. Without a word, the women exchange glances and then burst into laughter. The finale points to the great potential for solidarity among women as the last scene of women laughing at a courtroom dominated by men slyly mocks patriarchy. Now, the question of silence becomes a question of laughter. (Lim Sung-min)
PROGRAM NOTE
SYNOPSIS
Yolanda, a female teacher, cannot find the best methods to teach the marginalized children of the slums because of their different origin. Mario, a worker in a bus factory and a typical macho man, is confronted by Yolanda\'s instinct for emancipation. The two nonetheless become lovers. Their relationship portrays the idea that racism, sexism, and class-based prejudices must be demolished in order to succeed.
PROGRAM NOTE
Marleen GORRIS¡¯s first feature Question of Silence has since become a feminist film classic. Three completely normal women commit a murder which seems to have no motive. This murder along with their inexplicable silence depicts the powerful anguish of women towards male oppression of women from diverse sectors of life. A housewife, a secretary and a waitress beat the owner of a clothing store to death. The three women, excluded and discriminated even within their own social field, express their anger through the extreme means of murder. The other women customers quietly leave the store when everything is over. Each of the three women is arrested in turn. Though the court brings in a psychiatrist to evaluate the mental state of these women, the women hold their silence. The other women who were shopping in the clothes store during the murder arrive in court. Without a word, the women exchange glances and then burst into laughter. The finale points to the great potential for solidarity among women as the last scene of women laughing at a courtroom dominated by men slyly mocks patriarchy. Now, the question of silence becomes a question of laughter. (Lim Sung-min)