On March 26th 1991, five children disappear in the woods of South Korea's Daegu, last seen on their way to try and catch frogs. “Children…” is a film worth watching for remembrance of these children alone. However, it survives on its own merit as a prime example of an excellent Korean crime thriller.
“Children…” doesn't focus on what precisely happened to the kids and why, but instead focuses on the search for the children and the media circus surrounding it. When distinguished yet infamous documentary maker Kang Ji-seung (Park Yong-woo) finds himself in Daegu and realizes people are still looking out for five children that disappeared four years earlier, he finds opportunity. Together with university professor (Ryoo Seung-wong), who has his own reasons for being so engrossed by the case, they believe they have a solid theory as to what happened to the children. However, due to many reasons, not everyone is waiting for the theories of these outsiders.
Despite being released in 2011, the production manages to perfectly encapsulate 1991's rural South Korea, as if the movie was shot that same week. This gives it a certain extra pull, using modern techniques and storytelling, without diverting too much from what the story originally must have felt like. Besides that, the screenplay by Lee Kyu-man and Lee Hyeon-jin is surprising in one defining way. Split through the middle, both halves feel like completely different movies. Both good, but entirely different. Throughout the first half of it, the film is a genuine critique on media outlets and their harsh ways of trying to tell a story. Media goes too far, completely discounting the personal influences as they try to save the day in the name of telling a story to the people. The second half of the script abandons this idea for the most part, involving an unnecessary redemption arc, which is rather unfortunate. It does however turn into something more exciting to watch. Whether that is what you're looking for in a police procedural based on tragical events, is up to you. For some it will undoubtedly be too melodramatic. It's not until the last 20 minutes where “Children…” actually starts to lose its strength a little, focusing too much on sensationalist action where there needs to be none. However, this can be forgiven due to the fact that the films' best reveal and scene is also in this section of the film, featuring one of the parents.
The movie ends up focusing most of its time on the two main characters, instead of, for instance, the children or parents. It's therefore logical that these characters are also the ones most memorable, with Park Yong-woo playing a genuinely believable infamous producer, and Ryoo Seung-wong being a self-centred professor, making his selfish acts seem surprisingly well-meant at times. These two characters have layers. They're well done. It's a shame that the rest of the characters don't really get the time to get to evolve into similarly well-done portrayals.
A particularly interesting aspect of the movie is that it spans eleven years, just like the actual case, which makes for an interesting pacing. This works surprisingly well, and the shift in tone halfway through actually keeps it fresh. The editing by Kim Hyeong-ju is done well, whereas the cinematography by Ki Se-hoon is entirely in theme, which is a feat by itself. Both compliment a very difficult story to tell, in a unique way.
“Children…” focuses itself on something worth remembering. Children worth remembering, and lessons worth remembering. It does so in a critical way, looking at angles that many of its peers don't. This is what sets it apart, making it a fascinating, tragic, and captivating film.
