“The Lovers and the Despot” – A film to die for [MOVIE REVIEW]
Kim Jong-il, Choi Eun-hee, and Shin Sang-ok in THE LOVERS AND THE DESPOT, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. In an absolute case of “truth is stranger than fiction,” “The Lovers and the Despot” both defies credulity and inspires awe. This documentary by Rob Cannan and Ross Adam tells the story of South Korean film makers, Shin Sang-ok, a director of renown, and his ex-wife Choi Eun-hee, that country’s most famous actress. In 1978 they were kidnapped in Hong Kong and brought to North Korea on the orders of Kim Jong-il, then the son of the ruling dictator. Kim was a huge fan of Shin’s and very unhappy with the quality of North Korean films. He felt that Shin and Choi could turn out a product that would reflect better on North Korea beyond its borders. Making use of contemporary footage of Kim’s reign and his seemingly cozy relationship with Choi, much of which, at the time, seemed illustrative of the voluntary and privileged nature of the couple’s stay in North Korea. The directors also intersperse this actual footage with washed out shots made to look of its time and with clips of films made by Shin, first in South Korea and then in the North, a…
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