“I Can Speak” (spoiler-free synopsis by story arcs)

From Wikipedia: “I Can Speak” is a 2017 critical and commercial hit South Korean film based on a true story of comfort women. It was directed by Kim Hyun-seok, written by Yoo Seung-he, and distributed by Lotte Entertainment. The genre of the film are both comedy and drama. The film depicts the story of the resolution of conviction for “comfort women” (HR 121) of the Japanese military in 2007. Though the film is a comedy, the genre serves as a vehicle to discuss the deeper topic of Korean comfort women.

Starring Na Moon-hee as “Ok-boon” and Lee Je-hoon as “Min-jae,” the movie earned 23 million US dollars at the box office.

Na Moon-hee won numerous Best Actress awards for her performance, including awards from the 54th Baeksang Arts Awards, 38th Blue Dragon Film Awards, and 55th Grand Bell Awards. Among other accolades, the movie won the following: Top 10 Films of the Year, 37th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards; Films of the Year, 17th Director’s Cut Awards.

How to use this spoiler-free synopsis

Based on the story arcs, I divided this movie into four parts, indicating the start and end of each part in minute marks. For each part, I narrated the main actions without revealing the twists and turns. Part 4 is the movie’s finale (the last 30 minutes or so); you can just read Parts 1 to 2, for example, to know what the movie is all about and then go watch the movie. (Part 3 is the midway point of the movie, between 1:08:14 to 1:26:39.)

Part 1 (from the start to 38:30)

Park Min-jae is a 9th grade civil servant who has transferred to the civil affairs unit. On his first day at his new office, he meets the elderly Na Ok-boon, who has become notorious among the people in the community and the civil affairs employees and management for having filed thousands of complaints in the last 20 years; she has been given the nickname “Goblin Granny.”

Ok-boon’s latest complaint is against the redevelopment of the property where she and others live and own small shops. When the office director calls him into his office about the complaint, Min-jae says that their office should deny the petition for redevelopment. Thus, the property owner files an administrative case appealing the petition’s denial.

After meeting her old friend Jung-sim at a cafe, Ok-boon decides to learn how to speak English by enrolling in a private academy.

Note: Part 1 spoilers are at the bottom portion of this post.

Part 2 (from 38:31 to 1:08:13)

Min-jae teaches Ok-boon how to speak conversational English through games, songs, and practical experiences.

During a holiday dinner, Ok-boon tells Min-jae and his brother that she has a younger brother whom she has not seen or talked to since they were separated as children.

Min-jae stops tutoring Ok-boon because he has to prepare for the upcoming exam for 7th grade civil servants. On the other hand, Ok-boon finds out that the petition’s denial and the appeal were a setup between the property owner and the director of the civil affairs department.

Note: Part 2 spoilers are at the bottom portion of this post.

Part 3 (from 1:08:14 to 1:26:39)

Based on what his brother said, Min-jae goes to the records storage room and looks up some of the archived records.

The thugs threaten to demolish all of the shops and houses in the property.

While Ok-boon is at the hospital tending to her friend Jung-sim, the guardian gives her a letter; she also meets a news reporter who says that he’s a member of the HR 121 Resolution task force.

Note: Part 3 spoilers are at the bottom portion of this post.

Part 4 (from 1:26:40 up to the end)

Through the HR 121 Resolution task force, Ok-boon goes to the USA to testify before the US House of Representatives. But before the hearing, the Japanese government questions her credibility as a witness.

Note: Part 4 spoilers are at the bottom portion of this post.

Historical / cultural backgrounders and other information

1. YouTube videos on Korean comfort women







2. From “United States House of Representatives House Resolution 121” (Wikipedia):

United States House of Representatives House Resolution 121 (H.Res. 121) is a resolution about comfort women which Japanese-American Congressman Mike Honda of California’s 15th congressional district introduced to the American House of Representatives in 2007. It asks that the Japanese government apologize to former comfort women and include curriculum about them in Japanese schools, citing the 1921 International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women and Children that Japan has ratified and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. This resolution was passed on July 30, 2007.

3. “Bridal Mask” aka “Gaksital,” Korean comfort women, and ongoing controversy about an article by a Harvard law professor (reddit)

Part 1 spoilers:

Min-jae’s boss accepts his suggestion that their office deny the redevelopment petition knowing that they will lose the appeal. In that way, they can appease Ok-boon and the other tenants in the property that their office did its best.

During their meeting, Ok-boon notices that her friend Jung-sim has started becoming senile. After Jung-sim forgetfully leaves her embroidered handkerchief in the cafe, she brings it to her shop and repairs it.

The private academy refunds Ok-boon’s tuition, not wanting to deal with how she disrupts the class. On her way out of the academy, she overhears Min-jae speaking excellent English.

When Ok-boon threatens to overwhelm the civil affairs office with her unfiled complaints, Min-jae’s fellow employees plead with him to teach her. But in the diagnostic exam, Ok-boon only scores 75% when their agreed upon passing grade is 80%.

At the property, Ok-boon confronts the baldheaded leader of the thugs. She recognizes him as the thug who’s working for the property owner.

Min-jae finally decides to teach Ok-boon after finding out that she has been feeding his younger brother with dinner.

Part 2 spoilers:

Min-jae calls up Ok-boon’s younger brother, who has been living in the USA since he was adopted at an early age. But to his surprise and disappointment, the brother refuses to speak to Ok-boon and tells him to tell her that he doesn’t remember her.

Ok-boon’s friend Jung-sim is confined in a hospital; the guardian appeals to Ok-boon to help delay Jung-sim’s loss of memory.

Ok-boon finds out from one of the civil affairs employees that the documentary evidences she painstakingly compiled have been shredded. She accuses Min-jae of lying to her, but Min-jae retorts that the other tenants don’t care about her and that her own brother doesn’t want to talk to her. In anger, Ok-boon slaps him.

Part 3 spoilers:

Min-jae stops the thugs by saying that since the appeal is pending, any demolition would be illegal.

The shop owners and the employees at the civil affairs department are shocked when they read in the newspapers and see on TV Ok-boon testifying that she was a “comfort woman” during World War II.

Flashback, Manchuria, 1943 ... after suffering abuse at the hands of the Japanese soldiers, Ok-boon tries to hang herself, but Jung-sim saves her. Later on, Jung-sim tried to testify about what she and other comfort women endured, but the translator deliberately mistranslated everything that she said. That was when she decided to learn English.

Ok-boon asks Min-jae to help her continue Jung-sim’s quest for justice.

Part 4 spoilers:

Min-jae rallies his fellow civil affairs employees to petition the Korean government to verify Ok-boon as having been a comfort woman. Ok-boon’s fellow tenants also help out by asking people to sign the petition.

Despite the verification’s approval by the Mayor of Seoul and the Minister of Gender Equality, the Japanese government demands hard evidence. In Ok-boon’s shop, Min-jae gets the picture of her, Jung-sim, and their fellow comfort women in Manchuria.

After her moving testimony before the US House of Representatives, Ok-boon reunites with her brother.