This documentary is very sincere and respectful towards the culture of North Korea in a way I have never seen as an American, and the director surrendered her South Korean citizenship to become a citizen of Germany just to make this outstanding film.
Sun Hyung Cho has accomplished something with this project that may not be duplicated again in the near future.
What struck me were the good things about North Korea - the director mentions that she feels melancholy viewing the natural landscape which has been preserved in NK in a way that has been eroded in the South due to capitalist development. There were some really interesting forms of sustainable living in the agricultural sector and the people interviewed showed themselves to be truly individuals with preferences and talents of their own, despite the overwhelming conformity of their devotion to their leader which is almost like a religious person worshiping a god. They could have swapped out his name with Jesus, that was a little unsettling.
Sun Hyung Cho has accomplished something with this project that may not be duplicated again in the near future.
What struck me were the good things about North Korea - the director mentions that she feels melancholy viewing the natural landscape which has been preserved in NK in a way that has been eroded in the South due to capitalist development. There were some really interesting forms of sustainable living in the agricultural sector and the people interviewed showed themselves to be truly individuals with preferences and talents of their own, despite the overwhelming conformity of their devotion to their leader which is almost like a religious person worshiping a god. They could have swapped out his name with Jesus, that was a little unsettling.