The Hill of Secrets (2022)

Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!" *

The Hill of Secrets was another tender coming of age story by a female director. This time Lee Ji Eun took us back to 1996 as Lee Myeong Eun struggled to understand what family meant and how to traverse class distinctions. Her chosen route of lying led her down a path that became filled with quicksand.

With the new school year starting, everyone in Eun’s class is required to divulge what their parents do for a living . Eun is too embarrassed to say that her parents run a salted fish stall. She thinks up a lie on the spot and declares that her father is a salaryman and her mother is a housewife. Looking for more validation, she ingratiates herself to her teacher and runs for class president which she wins. Her mother tells her to quit as she has neither the time nor money to help her. Eun doggedly keeps the position, creating a secret box where students can write their concerns or suggestions. As the school year progresses, keeping her secret, becomes more daunting. Especially, when a new student, Hye Jin arrives and creates competition for her.

Being twelve-years old as puberty hits is difficult enough. Most kids are embarrassed by their parents but in a class sensitive society, being the child of salted fish dealers took confidence to accept. Something Eun did not possess. Eun’s journey of self-discovery began as she entered several writing contests and had success. She researched her topics rigorously, still navigating the lies she had told. In order to maintain the façade of the “acceptable” middle class family she yearned for, Eun had to go to extreme lengths with the stress building minute by minute. Eun was not alone in the fibbing department. “Everybody lies,” the saying goes. Eun’s uncle lied when he donned a suit to pick her up from school. Her teacher and principal also lied. There were times lies protected others but more often the lies were self-serving.

Writing brought Eun more popularity and more problems. When Hye Jin bested her, she became jealous, lashing out in passive-aggressive ways. Hye Jin’s mother ran a brothel which she didn’t even attempt to hide. Hye Jin and her “sister” did almost no research for their essays, only writing their truth which the judges appreciated. Through Eun's writing and developing friendship with her rival, she began to recognize the costly lies around her and within her. Some of her classroom behaviors driven by jealousy were deceptive and unkind. Her mother’s drive to earn money held secrets Eun had not been privy to. When Eun finally wrote her truth, she discovered it was based on hidden lies, leaving her in a lurch with her family. Regardless of how she felt about them, she wasn’t prepared to unleash public pain and humiliation on them.

While Eun's mother was not the cuddly type, she worked hard to provide for her family and extended family. Her motto to “Take nothing, give nothing,” was born out of too many wounds and losses. One of the saddest moments for me was when the mom was working in her vision journal, posting pictures of the dream house she greatly desired and would likely never afford due to all the hands outstretched to her. As much as I wanted her to hug Eun and praise her successes and hard work, she likely could not give something she’d never been given.

Overall, this slow film was entertaining. My biggest criticism is that it was too long. Grade school coming of age films like kung fu films, should not run longer than 90 minutes. The Hill of Secrets rested firmly on Moon Seung A’s slender shoulders and for the most part she carried the film well. There are times when lies are gentler than the truth. And there are times when a person has to accept who they are and where they are from and own those things. Lee Myeong Eun was not perfect, she was a pre-teen desperately looking for acceptance and belonging with no roadmap of how to achieve either. She lied, she was overly competitive, and increasingly arrogant. Yet she was also sensitive, intelligent, creative, and hard-working. Eun wanted what most people want--to be loved and appreciated. Watching her grow and evolve and gain confidence in who she was, was rewarding.

31 July 2026

* Quote Note: Sir Walter Scott ("Marmion")

School Note: Why would the teachers have the students talk about their parents’ jobs? It was a sure way to set up a pecking order, especially when according to Kdramas and Kfilms, schools are rife with bullying. I was delighted to find that there was no overt bullying in this drama. There was some typical grade school gossiping, but nothing awful. Hye Jin may have had a pessimistic world view, yet by being honest about her life, the students came to accept her which was refreshing. Eun’s jealous overreactions were the closest thing to villainous behavior.

Director Note: I would love to see more women directing in SKorea and in a wider variety of subjects. So many times they are relegated to coming-of-age stories. Same type of problem in my country. : /

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