Directed by Byun Young-Joo
During
World War II an estimated 200,000 women, mostly Korean, were forced by the Japanese
into sexual slavery. This experience scarred the women, who hid their shame
in silence. Now in their sixties and seventies, the surviving women have dared
to speak of their suffering at the hands of their Japanese oppressors.
This film captures the spirit and spunk of a group of survivors who live together in a sharing community. Amidst the activities of everyday life, they laugh, voice their tough minded views, and care intensely for one another. One of the women, dying of cancer, expresses her past in boldly colored paintings.
Habitual Sadness is a reminder of women's vulnerability during war. It is also a testament to the strength of former victims who have exchanged their painful memories for the warmth of communal life.
70 min. Video or DVD. Sale $250. Video rental $75. Subtitled.
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