The documentary Beyond Utopia follows various families as they attempt to flee North Korea. It is eye-opening and outstanding. In essence, it is a life-or-death thriller told in real time where the stakes could not be higher. I watched at home, via a screening link, with a twenty-something who did not look at her phone once. Could there be a higher recommendation?
The film has been assembled by the American director Madeleine Gavin who employed a camera crew when it was safe to do so but otherwise made use of secret smuggled footage. Her way in is via Kim Seungeun, a South Korean minister who has bravely devoted himself – for reasons that become apparent – to helping North Koreans escape.
I watched it with a twenty-something who did not look at her phone once
We follow two cases. The first is Soyeon, a defector living in Seoul who was separated from her son a decade before.
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