Synopsis

Rescued from his abusive father, 7-year-old Onyok is brought to a shelter of abused children run by Amanda. She realizes that Onyok is unable to speak caused by a physical trauma. On the first day at the shelter, Onyok hears the faint sound of a violin being played from far off. This strange but beautiful music captivates Onyok’s attention. It was played by Amanda’s reclusive brother Ariel, who has turned back on his career as a concert violinist and came back to the family house bearing a terrible guilt. This is the beginning of a simple, yet moving friendship between Onyok and Ariel. Ariel’s initial cynicism over his sister’s commitment to the abused children slowly melts when he sees Onyok’s intrinsic inclination to the violin. Onyok proves to have undiscovered talents that lead Ariel to teach him. Amanda begins to worry, however, when Ariel begins to push Onyok beyond his limits, leading the boy away from dealing with his own emotional issues as well as straining his new-found friendship with Shirley. As time goes by, Ariel’s secret guilt over the death of his sweetheart is revealed. Does Ariel really care for Onyok’s condition, or is he pushing Onyok to fulfill a shattered dream? In the meantime, Onyok’s father is slowly rehabilitated and the shelter is eventually preparing for reconciliation between father and son. Ariel realizes that he does not own the child. And their friendship will have to encompass both their individual issues -- hardly similar and yet resonant to both of them.

감독

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  • 엘렌 옹게코 마르필
  • 대학에서 방송을 전공한 얼렌 옹게코 마르필은 최근 대안적인 영화만들기를 통해 싱가포르 대중영화계에 활기를 불어넣으려는 목적으로 에라스토 영화사를 설립했다. 다양한 다큐멘터리를 통해 많은 영화제에서 소개되었고, 시각장애인 부부가 무심한 사회에서 자신들의 가족을 지켜나가려는 노력을 그린 <천사들>로 큰 반향을 일으켰다. 또한 최초의 장편 극 영화<도둑 고양이들>(2005)로 프리보그, 뉴욕, 시카고, 몬트리올, 베를린영화제 등 수많은 영화제에 초청되었다.