Watch Snowy Road

Snowy Road is a heart-wrenching tale set in the 1940s during the brutal Japanese occupation of Korea. The movie follows the harrowing journey of two young girls, Jin-sung (played by Hyang-gi Kim) and Young-hee (played by Kim Sae-ron), as they are forcibly taken from their families and forced into sexual slavery by Japanese soldiers.

The movie begins by introducing Jin-sung and Young-hee as best friends living in a small Korean village. They spend their days playing and dreaming of a bright future, until one fateful day when Japanese soldiers descend upon their village, rounding up all of the young girls. Without warning, Jin-sung and Young-hee are pulled away from their families and sent to a remote military base, where they are forced to become sex slaves.

Despite the horrors they face, Jin-sung and Young-hee hold onto their friendship and their determination to survive. They form a bond with an older woman named Ok-hee (played by Kim Young-ok), who serves as a mother figure and mentor to the girls.

As the war continues, Jin-sung and Young-hee are subjected to unimaginable abuse at the hands of their captors. Their bodies and spirits are broken, but they continue to cling to hope, always looking for a way to escape and be reunited with their families.

Snowy Road is not an easy movie to watch. It's a raw and unflinching look at the brutal reality of war, and the terrible toll it takes on innocent lives. The movie doesn't shy away from the graphic violence and sexual abuse that Jin-sung and Young-hee endure, but it also doesn't sensationalize it. The violence is always presented in service of the story, and as a way to communicate the gravity of what's at stake.

What elevates Snowy Road above other war movies is the depth of its characters. Jin-sung and Young-hee are fully realized protagonists, with distinct personalities and motivations. Their friendship is the heart of the movie, and their bond serves as a beacon of hope in the midst of despair. Ok-hee, too, is a complex character, full of wisdom and courage, and her presence is a soothing balm on the wounds of the girls.

The performances in Snowy Road are uniformly excellent. Hyang-gi Kim and Kim Sae-ron, in particular, are revelations. Both actresses were only 14 at the time of filming, but they deliver nuanced and emotionally raw performances that will stay with you long after the credits roll. Kim Young-ok is also excellent, bringing depth and warmth to a character that could have easily been one-dimensional.

Director Lee Na-jeong deserves special recognition for her work on Snowy Road. She handles the sensitive subject matter with great care, never allowing the movie to feel exploitative or gratuitous. Her camera is unobtrusive yet expressive, capturing the beauty and horror of the Korean landscape with equal skill. Above all, she has created a movie that honors the bravery and resilience of the Korean people during this dark period of their history.

In conclusion, Snowy Road is a powerful and moving movie that demands to be seen. It's a testament to the human spirit, and a reminder of the great sacrifices that have been made in the name of freedom. It's a difficult movie to watch, but it's also an important one, and one that will stay with you long after you've seen it.

Snowy Road is a 2015 drama with a runtime of 2 hours and 1 minute. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.2.