'Innocent Witness' is beautifully written, and the performance of Jung and Kim as well as minor roles are wonderful. The way the movie approaches an autistic student is very delicate. It's not pity, incompetence, or inferiority. Ji-woo does the best she can do for herself and for the community in her position as a student and disabled. Moreover, she is viewed as a true hero of the story, being persistent with her testimony and sticking to the truth while all others truly believe the accused is innocent. By hiding what truly happened till later, the director questions audience as well, 'you did not believe Ji-woo, either, right?' Ji-woo is not the one who needs saving; Sun-ho is saved by her.
Even though I love direction, message, and performance of 'Innocent Witness', I have hard time connecting to it because it's too perfect and idealistic to the point of eliminating the sense of reality. I get that the director wanted to paint a pretty picture here, but a pretty picture is neither artistic nor powerful.
Even though I love direction, message, and performance of 'Innocent Witness', I have hard time connecting to it because it's too perfect and idealistic to the point of eliminating the sense of reality. I get that the director wanted to paint a pretty picture here, but a pretty picture is neither artistic nor powerful.