Justice Unleashed: Taking On Hate Crimes in a System That Won't

Ever beaten popcorn in anticipation while at a courtroom drama replaying legalese? Now that's a far-off dream, isn't it? Not the case this time! Faraz Shariat serves us a delicious legal thriller in his new movie, “Prosecution”. It's like watching Batman on trial, riveted by the complex jargon while secretly yearning for some vigilante justice to break loose.

Our protagonist, Seyo Kim, played by the fabulous Chen Emilie Yan, is a modest state lawyer and semi-reluctant heroine who locks horns with the alarming trend of far-right hate crimes sweeping Germany. She painfully swallows the bitter reality of her department's sky-high 80% rate of dropping hate crime prosecutions. Yet, behind her mask of acceptance, a fire burns to make a real difference.

Feeling the heat yet?

Home is a studio apartment where she chats in German with her dad, who finds comfort in his Korean responses. Her personal life is a puzzle with the missing piece often being her girlfriend Min-su (played by Kotbong Yang), who is always on the other end of the line that Seyo rarely seems to pick.

Watch out for the nail-biting courtroom scenes with Seyo facing the hostility of neo-Nazi defendants and their supporters with a graceful demeanor. She tries her worst to secure justice in what is touted as the most neutral legal system in the world. But how long can Hercules hold up the sky, especially when hate crimes force her off her bicycle and bomb her with Molotov cocktails?

That was just round one. Seyo throws herself into investigating her own attempted murder, brushing off warnings from higher-ups like Senior Public Prosecutor Forch (featuring Arnd Klawitter) to steer clear. A friendly colleague Ayten (played by Alev Irmak) lends her a reluctant hand. Seyo goes rogue, diving into old case files like a detective on a mission. She becomes her own lawyer, bullying witnesses into the stand at the risk of their safety.

Seyo might come off as a tad self-centered, but hey, desperate times call for desperate measures, right? As the movie unfolds, "Prosecution" transforms into a pulp-fiction style action-thriller. The radical transformation of Seyo draws parallels to Lisbeth Salander of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” Pseudo-goth hair and eccentric outfits insinuate her bottled-up rebellion against a system that steals her safety in the name of impartiality.

The English translation of the film’s German title, “Staatsschutz," is ironically “state protection," posing the daunting question, where does the loyalty of the state lie?

Remember Matt Murdock from "Daredevil"? Seyo's character borrows the same "lawyer by day, rule-breaker by night" spirit-though minus the boxing skills and red leather attire. Instead, she fiercely battles prejudice and bigotry with a fearlessness that attracts danger, both from hate groups and the law.

Seyo's muscles come in the form of dusty boxes filled with records and terrifyingly tense sessions of sleuthing. Every moment is suffused with the adrenaline-pumping twist of a spy thriller, set against a thunderous, heartbeat-quickening score that will glue you to your seats.

The brilliance of Yan’s performance as Seyo truly stands out, her eyes bearing witness to a woman bravely fighting an oppressive system. She perfectly balances Seyo’s unwavering determination with flickers of self-doubt. Ambiguous lines between personal revenge and a larger fight for justice toy with Seyo, threatening to break her spirit.

“Prosecution," despite its somewhat hastily tied knot towards the end, gives you a peek into the bitter reality of systemic challenges. Laced with anti-racist overtones, the movie might not change the world but is sure to stir up enough emotions to make you feel hope. It is, after all, a realistic venture; we can't all do superhero landings or shoot webs from our wrists, but we can stand up against hate wherever we face it.