In 1970s South Korea, actor Choi Eun-hee and her ex-husband, film director Shin Sang-ok, were divorced, estranged and both struggling with stalled careers. Unfortunately, both their lives seemed changed forever when they were individually kidnapped in 1978 by their biggest fan, Kim Jong-il, despot of North Korea. With persuasion and brute force, the movie obsessed Kim planned to use them to develop the Hermit Kingdom's film industry and get it out of its mindless propaganda m... (Full plot summary below)
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In 1970s South Korea, actor Choi Eun-hee and her ex-husband, film director Shin Sang-ok, were divorced, estranged and both struggling with stalled careers. Unfortunately, both their lives seemed changed forever when they were individually kidnapped in 1978 by their biggest fan, Kim Jong-il, despot of North Korea. With persuasion and brute force, the movie obsessed Kim planned to use them to develop the Hermit Kingdom's film industry and get it out of its mindless propaganda mentality. Through the words of Choi, their family, associates and US intelligence personnel, you will follow the story of the bizarre slavery of this couple even as they rediscovered their love and secretly gathered evidence of the dictator's crimes. All the while, they struggled to play along with the world's most dangerous film geek as they desperately planned their escape.
Leave your thoughts about The Lovers and the Despot.
| San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonDirectors Ross Adam and Robert Cannan's documentary is told masterfully through archival material, film clips, spot-on re-enactments and interviews with those involved ... |
| NerdistLuke Y. Thompson...not just the best documentary it can be, but probably the best it could ever be...short of Kim himself rising from the grave and granting the directors an audience |
| Arts FuseGerald PearyIt's a fantastic narrative. Too bad it's told so badly in The Lovers & the Despot. |
| Toronto StarBruce DemaraIt's a riveting story steeped in Cold War intrigue and personal tragedy but also not without its ironies. |
| NYC Movie GuruAvi OfferThoroughly thrilling, captivating, gripping and well-edited |
| The Film StageDan SchindelThe most frustrating aspect of The Lovers and the Despot is its refusal to do more than simply recite its tale, ignoring the interesting concepts lurking within it. |
| Fresh FictionCourtney HowardThe logline sounds like a darkly comedic fictional madcap caper. However, this insanely catchy hook is actually an utterly chilling, harrowing affair. |
| Counterpunch.orgLouis ProyectIn a period where nuclear holocaust is threatened over North Korea, a nuanced film such as this is essential. |
| CinemacyMorgan Rojas... it's truly the most terrifying film you'll see all year. |
| Brooklyn MagazineSteve Ericksonoffers some fascinating glimpses into one of the world's most secretive countries, but it's far too concerned with looking cool |
