''I Can Speak'' is a 2017 South Korean film based on a true story of

comfort women Comfort women or comfort girls were women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army in occupied countries and territories before and during World War II. The term "comfort women" is a translation of the Japanese '' ia ...

directed by Kim Hyun-seok and distributed by Lotte Entertainment. The genre of the film are both comedy and drama. The film depicts the story of the resolution of conviction for “comfort women” (HR121) of the Japanese military in 2007. Though the film is a comedy, the genre serves as a vehicle to discuss the deeper topic of Korean

. The way that film illustrated Na Ok-Bun's enterprising attitude of her life and her courageously testifying in front of the whole world were applauded. The film stars

Na Moon-hee Na Moon-hee (; Na Kyung-ja, ; November 30, 1941) is a South Korean actress. Since 1960, Na has had a prolific acting career in television and film spanning more than five decades. She established a classic Korean mother persona with her Korean d ...

as Na Ok-Bun, with

Lee Je-hoon Lee Je-hoon (born July 4, 1984) is a South Korean actor. He started his career in indie films, then went on to appear in commercial films like '' The Front Line'' (2011), ''Architecture 101'' (2012) and '' My Paparotti'' (2013), and television ...

as Park Min-Jae. The scene of Na Ok-Bun's testimony to the United States Congress was filmed at the Capitol Building of Virginia, in the city of Richmond.

Plot

Nah Ok-Bun is an elderly woman who is notorious for filing citizen's complaint at her district office and is nicknamed "Goblin Granny". When Ok-Bun meets Park Min Jae, a young man who has recently been appointed as a junior civil service officer, she is dissatisfied with his attitude of not caring about her complaints and only trying to do the jobs that are assigned to him. But there is an opportunity for these two as Ok-Bun wants to learn English. The senior class run by the local resident center does not fit her level, and the class at the English academy is too fast-paced and so she is eventually kicked out of the class. Ok-Bun sees Min Jae speaking English very fluently with a native speaker in the academy. Forgetting all the troubles she had with Min Jae, Ok-Bun asks Min Jae to teach her English. Min Jae refuses Ok-Bun's request because he does not want to take on the troublesome role. When Min Jae sees Ok-Bun taking care of his younger brother, Young Jae, he is moved by her warmth and agrees to become her English teacher. Min Jae teaches Ok-Bun and Ok-Bun's English improves. Min Jae learns that Ok-Bun wishes to learn English to continue her friend Jeong-Shim's dream of testifying at the

public hearing in Washington D.C. Ok-Bun and Jeong-Shim were both victims of the Japanese Military during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Although Ok-Bun has prepared what to say in the public hearing, she can hardly speak as she is overwhelmed by the pressure she feels in the unfamiliar surroundings. When people start to question Ok-Bun's behavior, she hears and sees Min Jae in the audience which gives her the courage to testify against the atrocities of the Japanese Military.

Cast

Main

as Na Ok-Bun **

Choi Soo-in Choi Soo-In (born March 5, 2004) is a South Korean actress. She first came to the attention of the public with her debut role in the 2016 film '' The World of Us'', where she plays a lonely and outcast child who tries her utmost to hold onto h ...

as young Na Ok-Bun :A frequent trouble making visitor at the local public government office who has filed over 8,000 civil complaints. *

as Park Min-jae :A ninth-level civil servant who befriends Na Ok-Bun and teaches her English

Supporting

Yeom Hye-ran Yeom Hye-ran (born October 30, 1976) is a South Korean actress. Career Yeom began her career in theater in 1999 and made her screen debut in 2003. She has since played supporting roles in film and television, notably ''Dear My Friends'' (2016 ...

as Woman from Jinju *

Lee Sang-hee General (Ret.) Lee Sang-hee (born 1945), ROKA, was the 32nd Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and the 41st Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense. General Lee graduated from the Republic of Ko ...

as Hye-jung *Son Sook as Jung-sim **

Lee Jae-in Lee Jae-in (born February 6, 2004) is a South Korean actress. She first gained recognition through a blockbuster film '' Svaha: The Sixth Finger''. Career Lee Jae-in is one of the few South Korean celebrities born in Gangwon, a border provinc ...

as young Jung-sim *

Kim So-jin Kim So-jin (born 1979) is a South Korean actress. She is known for playing a prosecutor in crime drama '' The King'' (2017), for which she received critical acclaim and won several awards, including the Blue Dragon Film Award, Grand Bell Awar ...

as Geum-joo *

Park Chul-min Park Chul-min (born January 18, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Career Park Chul-min began acting in his high school drama club at Chosun University High School, and though he majored in Business Administration at Chung-Ang University, he spent ...

as Team leader Yang *

Jung Yeon-joo Jung Yeon-joo (born 13 February 1990) is a South Korean actress and model. Jung is known for her roles in Queen of Mystery, Chicago Typewriter. Biography and career She graduated from the Korea National University of Arts and made her debut ...

as A-young * Lee Ji-hoon as Jong-hyun *

Lee Dae-yeon Lee Dae-yeon (born November 13, 1964) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Theater Awards and nominations References External links Lee Dae-yeonat JR Entertainment * * * 1964 births Living ...

as Borough chief *

Sung Yu-bin Sung Yoo-bin (born 25 July 2000) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Web series Awards and nominations References External links * * * 2000 births Living people South Korean male televis ...

as Park Young-jae *

Woo Ji-hyun Woo Ji-hyun is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in dramas such as '' The Veil'', ''Mouse'', ''A Piece of Your Mind'' and '' All of Us Are Dead''. He also appeared in movies ''In Between Seasons'', '' The Witness'', ''I Can Speak ...

as Public service employee

Reception

''I Can Speak'' was released in theaters in Korea on September 21, 2017. On its opening weekend it topped the local box office, grossing from 727,000 admissions over four days. By September 29, 2017, the film had surpassed the 1 million viewer mark and collected a total of in ticket sales. During the Korean

Chuseok ''Chuseok'' (; , literally "autumn evening"), also known as ''Hangawi'' (Hangul: ; ; from archaic Korean for "the great middle (of autumn)"), is a major mid-autumn harvest festival and a three-day holiday in South Korea celebrated on the 15th ...

holiday weekend, the movie attracted 462,939 viewers, increasing the total number of ticket sale to 2.86 million. According to the

Korean Film Council The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) () is a state-supported, self-administered organization under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) of the Republic of Korea. History KOFIC was launched in 1973 as the Korean Motion Picture Promotion C ...

, just twenty days after its release, ''I Can Speak'' had attracted 3 million viewers. The film has won the prize for the “Comfort Women” victim scenario project which was sponsored by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. It was selected through a competition rate of 75: 1. The film was praised for its lively approach to the issue of comfort women which is based on anger and sadness. It was also selected for family film production support of Korean Film Council.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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''I Can Speak'' Review
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YBMW
{{Kim Hyun-seok (filmmaker) 2017 films 2017 comedy-drama films South Korean comedy-drama films Lotte Entertainment films Films about comfort women Films shot in Virginia World War II war crimes trials films 2017 comedy films 2010s South Korean films