Habitual Sadness (1997)
A quiet, devastating documentary bearing witness to the lives and unhealed wounds of South Korea's surviving comfort women.
Habitual Sadness - Movie Information
- Original Title: 낮은 목소리 2
- Release Year: 1997
- Directed by: Byun Young-joo
- Type: Movie
- Genres: Documentary
- Runtime: 57m
- Original Language: Korean
- Spoken Languages: Korean
- Release Date (Theatrical): August 23, 1997 (South Korea - ALL)
- Alternative Titles: Habitual Sadness 2 (KR), The Murmuring II (UK), The Murmuring 2: Habitual Sadness (US)
- Production Companies: Docu-Factory Vista
- Production Countries: South Korea
Habitual Sadness - Plot
The story of the women at the "House of Sharing" continues. Old women who share a common bond lead a peaceful life in the countryside, raising vegetables, chickens and painting pictures. They are no different from the elderly women we see every day. But they are all scarred by pain and sorrow from their collective history of being comfort women during World War 2. They became subject to prejudice in their own homeland after their return to Korea. It is painful for them to watch other peoples' children and grandchildren, and they feel rage when the Japanese government tries to cover up the unspeakable crimes they committed against them. The film asks us to remember what these women sacrificed and the shame and misery they faced even as these individuals pass away often forgotten by their own people.
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Habitual Sadness - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Byun Young-joo
Producers
- Shin Myoung-hwa
- Byun Young-joo
Habitual Sadness - FAQs
What is Habitual Sadness about?
Habitual Sadness follows the women living at the House of Sharing, a communal home in South Korea for survivors of wartime sexual slavery. Director Byun Young-joo captures their quiet daily routines alongside their grief, rage, and dignity as they demand acknowledgment from a Japanese government that long denied their suffering.
Do the women ever receive an official apology in the film?
No. One of the film's most painful threads is the Japanese government's continued denial and evasion. The women's anger at this refusal runs throughout the documentary, and Byun Young-joo frames their ongoing fight for recognition as inseparable from their everyday lives at the House of Sharing.
Is Habitual Sadness part of a series?
Yes. Habitual Sadness is the second film in Byun Young-joo's Murmuring trilogy, following The Murmuring (1995). A third installment, My Own Breathing, was released in 1999. Together the three films form a sustained, intimate portrait of the surviving comfort women and their struggle for justice.
Who directed Habitual Sadness and what is her background?
Byun Young-joo directed the film. She is one of South Korea's most respected documentary filmmakers and a prominent woman director in Korean cinema. The Murmuring trilogy brought her international recognition and helped spark wider public conversation about the comfort women issue both in Korea and abroad.
Where can I watch Habitual Sadness?
Streaming availability for Habitual Sadness varies by region. You can check current viewing options, including any rental or purchase platforms, on JustWatch, which tracks up-to-date availability across streaming services in your country.
How long is Habitual Sadness?
Habitual Sadness runs 57 minutes. Its compact runtime makes it an intense, focused experience rather than a sprawling documentary. Byun Young-joo uses every minute deliberately, letting the women's quiet daily lives and their moments of raw emotion speak without unnecessary padding or narration.
Is Habitual Sadness based on real events and real people?
Entirely. The film documents real survivors of Japan's wartime comfort women system, women who were coerced into sexual slavery during World War II. The House of Sharing, where they live, is a real communal residence in South Korea that has housed survivors since 1992 and continues to operate today.
What films are similar to Habitual Sadness?
If Habitual Sadness moved you, consider Cameraperson (2016), a reflective documentary about bearing witness, Nothing Like a Dame (2018), which also centers on elderly women's voices and memories, or Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003) for another unflinching portrait of a marginalized woman's story.
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