I found the film well produced, engaging, and moving. It's pathetic that these elderly women have to ask for an apology. It should have been given decades ago. Many of them have kept this terrible secret all their lives. Many have been consumed with shame. So the courage it takes for them to speak out at last and to take action -- it's mind-boggling. I am also blown away by the younger women who are side-by-side with them, encouraging them, helping, listening. They are like the survivors of the death camps in Europe: the last witnesses to brutality some would like to forget. It's important that their stories are remembered.
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m_white5 November 2019
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MikeyB179331 January 2020This film has interviews with "comfort women" who were used as sex slaves during World War II by the Japanese army. They were just young girls when they were forced to do this. There are women from Korea, China and the Philippines interviewed. Their stories are extremely sad and they have obviously been scarred for life - they are now in their eighties.
This is a very poignant documentary. These women are merely asking for an apology from the Japanese government for the reprehensible way they were treated. Some of the women went to Japan to inform the Japanese people and government of what occurred to them during World War II. They were treated in Japan very disrespectfully by a few Japanese, I was shocked.
Incidentally I have no idea why this powerful documentary has such a low rating on IMDb -
jenniefahn23 October 2018I was accidentally drawn into this story, rife with compelling and fascinating characters, and then realized the subject matter at hand and was completely riveted. This is a subject that most people are probably not familiar with, yet the people in the story are so relate-able, and marvelously captured, it makes the matter of the 'apology' most impactful. Everyone should watch this beautiful and consequential film, and make sure the legacy of these women is not forgotten.
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ruwen-3607327 April 2019What a tremendous film that humanizes survivors and allow us to get to know what the impact of such horrific atrocities in human history has on the lives of the survivors and their community and family.
I found myself in awe of their strength and asked myself how would I personally be able to live 6 decades afterwards after experiencing such cruel inhuman acts of violence!!!
I hope as many people can watch this very necessary much needed film that is both timely and universal. -
djveteran15 November 2020I am a documentary junkie and know a well told story when I see one.
The director Tiffany Hsiung has done a fantastic job to delicately tell the stories of these brave women and of the horrible atrocities committed by the Japanese military during the war against them and countless women just like them.
You can tangibly feel the frustration and pain from the struggle of these grandmothers having to protest for the truth to be acknowledged for SO long against an government who has yet to come to terms with it's dark past.
Worth noting is one particular scene in which one of the grandmothers reveals her dark secret to her now adult children on a jeepney ride...without spoiling it...the emotion conveyed without even hearing the words said was captured beautifully and stayed with me after the film. Kudos to the team behind the lens.
Overall albeit a heart wrenching film this is an IMPORTANT film as many (myself included) did not know this history until having had this light shone on this horrible moment in time.
11/10 Highly recommended. -
Leofwine_draca10 October 2018THE APOLOGY is a thoughtful and emotive documentary exploring the issue of "comfort women", in other words usually poor villagers who were forced into prostitution by occupying Japanese forces in WW2. It remains a controversial topic even today, with Japan often refusing to acknowledge this unsavoury part of their country's history, so this film follows three women as they seek justice and a simple apology from their former oppressors. Three different angles are followed, based around survivors in South Korea, China and the Philippines. Most of the documentary is made up of on-camera interviews, and there's no denying the raw power evident in the testimony of these old ladies.