KIMJONGILIA -
(unrated) 2010 - USA/France/South Korea - English/Korean (with English subtitles) - 75 minutes - Kino
Directed by: N.C. Heikin
Featuring: Kang Chol Hwan, Lee Shin, Choi Young Hun
The first film to fully expose the humanitarian crisis of North Korea, N.C. Heikin’s stylish, deeply moving documentary (executive produced by Mike Figgis) is centered around astonishing interviews with survivors of North Korea’s vast and largely hidden prison camps, and interspersed with archival footage of North Korean propaganda films and original performance. Along with the survivors’ stories — which illuminate the contours of daily life for a people whose every action is monitored, and whose every thought could bring retribution — Kimjongilia (named after a hybrid flower created for Kim Jong Il’s 46th’s birthday) examines the mass illusion possible under totalitarianism and the human rights abuses required to maintain that illusion.
“N.C. Heikin orders up her indictment of the ‘Dear Leader’ in a manner passionate and artistic, elevating fascinating, woeful facts into a wholly elevated realm.” –John Anderson, Variety
I saw this at a film festival, a powerful work about a tragic human condition. I thought I knew the situation... I found out I was clueless. It will move you.
