| Hae-Joo Chang | |
| Film | |
| |
| Appears | Sonmi's Orison |
| Actor | Jim Sturgess |
| Relationships | Sonmi-451, lover |
| Character | |
Hae-Joo Chang is a film combination of two novel characters: Hae-Joo Im and Mr. Chang.
Hae-Joo Chang has a long history with the "Union Revolutionary Group" and at some point attained the rank of "Commander".
Late at night after the death ofYoona-939, Sonmi-451 is wakened from her "sleep box" inside of Papa Song's dinery. She tiptoes to the open door of a storage room to find Commander Chang standing over the lifeless body of Seer Rhee. Sonmi is frightened by the sight and turns to try to sneak away. Chang stops her, telling her there is no need to hide. He introduces himself, telling her he knows who she is. Sonmi asks what has happend to Rhee and Chang tells her that the man had overdosed on "soap," the substance that fabricants drink. There is some implication that Chang may have actually killed Seer Rhee as the body’s face is bloody and there is blood on the floor.
Chang explains that now that Seer Rhee is dead, Sonmi may be pursued by enforcers and DNA sniffers. He tells her she has a choice. She can take her chances and try to evade the authorities or she can go with Chang. The two exit the dinery and Chang takes Sonmi up in an elevator high in a skyscraper to show her Neo Seoul. It is Sonmi's first glimpse of the world outside of Papa Song's dinery.
From there, Chang takes Sonmi to a Union doctor named Ovid. The doctor burns through Sonmi's collar, careful not to set off the small explosive charge that, if detonated, would tear through Sonmi's carotid artery.
He takes Sonmi to an apartment, where she has a spectacular view of the city of Neo Seoul. After fixing her video device, he shows her the full film of The Ghastly Ordeal Of Timothy Cavendish. Fascinated by Cavendish’s story, Sonmi, with the help of Chang learns more about herself, philosophy and the world. Chang falls asleep and Sonmi listens to his heartbeat. Shortly after, Chang gets a transmission to his built-in comlink and tells Sonmi that the authorities have found them. He proceeds to take Sonmi to the window where he extends a device across a gap to another building, he and Sonmi cross the bridge and after a shootout with the enforcers, they are under heavy fire by a flying assault vehicle. The bridge breaks and Hae-Joo Chang falls to his supposed death. Sonmi is then captured and taken to a prison.
After Boardman Mephi (Leader of Unanimity) visits her cell, Sonmi requests to know the status of Hae-Joo Chang, and is heartbroken when Mephi informs her that Chang is dead.
After Mephi's departure, Sonmi is taken out of the cell so she can be taken to her execution. Suddenly an officer turns and starts killing the other officers, revealing himself to be Chang. He rescues her and they are able to break out of the prison facility. After a long chase through the streets of Neo Seoul, they are able to reach the seedy underbelly of Neo Seoul.
After traveling through Neo Seoul's seedy underbelly, Sonmi and Chang arrive at the hideout. Being unable to sleep, she walks over to Commander Chang and
Sonmi listens to Chang's heartbeat.
puts her head to his chest in order to hear his heartbeat, this prompts Chang to wake fast and grab her, Chang and Sonmi then engage in intercourse, starting an intimate relationship between the two. After some time, Chang brings her to the Union’s secret headquarters to meet their leader, An-Kor Apis. After Sonmi is hesitant about joining the revolution, he tells Sonmi that before she calls her decision final, there is one thing he would like her to see so she understands what the Revolutionary Group is fighting for.
Later in the day, Chang finds two red jumpsuits which he and Sonmi use to disguise themselves as factory workers and enter a very eerie looking facility. when inside Chang takes Sonmi up to a viewing platform where they see thousands of fabricants in white hooded robes marching and singing. Sonmi recognizes this as the release to a better life promised to all fabricants, Xultation, but is informed by Chang that it is not what it seems. Chang shows her a slaughterhouse where the cadavers of fabricants are dismembered. He informs her that the genomics industry demands a huge quantity for biomatter for wombtanks (where fabricants are grown in) and for food (soap) for the still living fabricants. Recycled fabricants are a cheap source of protein. Shocked by this revelation, she is ready to serve the Revolutionary Group.
Under Chang's guidance she writes what she calls her "revelations" and is ready to broadcast it to the 12 states and four off-world colonies. Chang takes a squadron of Union Revolutionary soldiers and successfully takes over a broadcasting station. He and the soldiers barricade the entrance, set up a line and wait for the military to attempt to retake the station. When the military invades the facility, Chang along with his whole squadron are killed after a long firefight, with Sonmi tearfully watching Chang's demise. Before he died defending her, the two exchanged one last glance.