Filmmaker Vitaly Mansky was given permission to make a movie in North Korea under extremely strict conditions. Laughably strict, in fact.
Officials informed Mansky that his documentary would be scripted and would portray a fictional story line; two government authorities would remain on set to make sure the filming stuck to the outline. Of course, that’s the opposite of what a documentary is.
Mansky agreed to the limitations. Then he found a way to subvert them.
“Under the Sun” ostensibly tracks the progress of an eight-year-old girl in the capital city, Pyongyang, as she prepares to join the Children’s Union, the political organization that indoctrinates wee ones into the cult of personality that surrounds North Korea’s ruling family.
One incredible, mind-numbing scene depicts the repetitive nature of proper schooling. A smiling teacher goes over a particular moment in the life of Kim Il-sung, the leader who established North Korea’s communist dictatorship in the late 1940s.
And goes over it again. And again. If you thought the brainwashing scenes in “The Manchurian Candidate” were exaggerated, this will make you reconsider.
The classroom scene appears authentic. But when Mansky shows scenes of the little girl, Lee Zin-mi, with her parents at home, he lets the seams show. We see repeated takes of the same determinedly happy dinner conversation, and we even see the North Korean officials coaxing performances out of the family members.
Other times, we read subtitles that inform us of the movie’s falsity. For instance, after shooting began, government officials decided to change the occupations of Zin-mi’s parents, so that they would be greater success stories of the socialist state.
Gradually, along with the obvious absurdities of this situation, a theme emerges. In a country where it’s all about citizens elaborately performing their duties and proclaiming their love of North Korea’s leaders, why wouldn’t a documentary also be about a fake performance?
Mansky’s camera sometimes catches the mask dropping. In one scene, a military hero — festooned with approximately 50 pounds of medals hanging from his jacket — comes to a classroom to tell the kids how cowardly Americans are and how the North Koreans defeated them in the 1950s. Mansky focuses on one little girl who cannot stay awake during this monologue, hard as she tries.
There’s one thing that troubles me about this odd artifact. I worried a little about the people onscreen. Will they suffer because they were unwitting participants in Mansky’s subversive project? And how would we ever know?
“Under the Sun” (3 stars)
A “documentary” shot in North Korea, in which we clearly see the government officials controlling and falsifying the means of production. A subversive act of filmmaking, and an eerie viewing experience. In Korean, with English subtitles.
Rating: Not rated; probably PG for subject matter
Showing: Grand Illusion
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
