Under the Sun (2015)

Under the Sun (2015)

Not Rated

7.6

Movie

Czech Republic, Germany
English, German, Korean
Documentary
2015
VITALIY MANSKIY, VITALY MANSKY
Hye-Yong, Kim Jong-un, Lee Zin-Mi
106 min

What it's about

Over the course of one year, this film follows the life of an ordinary Pyongyang family whose daughter was chosen to take part in Day of the Shining Star (Kim Jong-il's birthday) celebration. While North Korean government wanted a propaganda film, the director kept on filming between the scripted scenes. The ritualized explosions of color and joy contrast sharply with pale everyday reality, which is not particularly terrible, but rather quite surreal.

The take

When Russian director Vitaly Mansky is commissioned by the North Korean government to make a documentary about an average Pyongyang child, he follows their every guideline. Except the end result, Under The Sun, is the complete opposite of what they had intended. For example starting every take earlier than they thought, he makes the documentary about the watchdogs around the child and other mechanisms of propaganda. He uses quiet storytelling to expose how brainwashing in a fascist regime takes place, and how the people caught in it function. May just be the smartest, most important film you can watch on North Korea.

Comments

Add a comment

Your name

Your comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Secrets of the Neanderthals (2024)

This plodding, unenergetic documentary sees neanderthals and humans as two branches on the same tree

6.0

Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry (2023)

A meditative character study of an independent middle-aged woman

7.2

The Boxer (1997)

Star-crossed lovers stand their ground in this disappointing Northern Irish drama

6.8

Mona Lisa (1986)

A neo-noir love story that dives deep into London’s underworld

7.7

John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch (2019)

John Mulaney successfully creates an offbeat children's comedy special tackling death

7.5

Belle (2013)

A stirring, though fictionalized, period drama intertwining race and romance

7.2

Lilting (2014)

A thoughtful, heartbreaking debut feature where shared grief bridges two different people

7.2

The Guilty (2018)

A minimalist, razor-sharp thriller that will have you gasping for air.

9.0

La Belle Noiseuse (1991)

A sensual, spellbinding masterpiece depicting the creative process and its muse

8.1

System Crasher (2019)

A tale of trauma and one of the most talked about movies on Netflix in 2020.

9.0

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.