Beyond Utopia
Madeleine Gavin’s portrait of life in North Korea may be imperfectly realised but it is vital cinema.
This documentary by Madeleine Gavin is a compelling reminder of a situation that must not be forgotten but which in terms of news headlines has been swept to the side by all those stories of human suffering linked to the war in Ukraine and to the terrible situation involving Israel and Gaza. Beyond Utopia stands as testimony to what it is like to be an ordinary citizen living in North Korea under the regime of Kim Jong-un and as such it is invaluable. Included in its footage are reflections on growing up there by the author and defector Hyeonseo Lee along with further recollections from others who have escaped. There are also brief but useful reminders of the history that has brought North Korea to its present state. However, much of the film’s focus is on the work of a pastor, Seungeun Kim, who, having himself escaped from North Korea, subsequently developed the Underground Railroad for Freedom in order to help others to get out. Since landmines had been planted by North Koreans on their border with South Korea, any such route had to pass through other countries adding substantially to the risks involved.
Gavin's film concentrates on two escape bids for which the pastor’s aid was sought. One of these is centred on Soyeon Lee, a woman who having fled to Seoul a decade earlier approached Kim asking that he arrange for her 17-year-old son Cheong who had remained in North Korea to join her. As we discover this endeavour proves to be very difficult, but even more central to Beyond Utopia is the story of the Roh family. In their case some of them had already settled in South Korea but they were now hoping to be joined by five others including an 80-year-old grandmother and two young children. To reach safety in Thailand (a country that would protect those who arrived there as refugees from North Korea) the route arranged for them started by crossing the Yalu river into China and continued by way of two further Communist countries, Vietnam and Laos. Danger abounded throughout, but at certain points there were safe houses where they could stay. Nevertheless, they were dependent on various brokers along the way who, although acting as their guides, could not necessarily be trusted.
Introductory wording has told us that Beyond Utopia is a film which, despite following these two narratives in detail, contains no scenes that are recreations. The fact that what we see is indeed the real thing photographed as it happened means that some of the footage is rather rough, but what counts is that it is so vivid. Even so, the impact of this film stems not only from these two personal tales but from the combined effect of seeing them while also hearing what Hyeonseo Lee and others have to tell us about the time when they were living in North Korea. In this way the savagery and ruthlessness of the regime, the extent of the propaganda declaring North Korea to be a Utopia and the Americans to be virtually inhuman and the conditions under which the people actually lived are all made manifest.
Earlier this year I declared that 20 Days in Mariupol was the most important film of the year for the evidence it contained of what Putin’s forces had done in that city. In its own way what Beyond Utopia shows us is no less important for revealing what life in North Korea has become. But, while 20 Days in Mariupol was also one of the best made films of the year, on that score Madeleine Gavin’s film is not on a comparable level. If the contrasted elements that she brings into play add to the film’s power, that does not mean that they always fit together well. The most jarring example of that comes in a long segment showing members of the Roh family crossing mountains at night en route to Laos. The film cuts away from that to show other contributors reminiscing about their own experiences only to revert thereafter to the continuing passage of the Rohs through the jungle. That seems quite misguided since the appearance of the inserted footage feels abrupt on arrival and, once we realise that there is yet more footage of the journey, it feels disruptive too.
Furthermore, if the various threads are not always brought together harmoniously there are also more serious misjudgments especially in the first half of the film. Once the various individuals are established, we know where we are with them, but initially the names of the contributors come up with a description of who these people are and often just as they start to speak. Taking aboard all that is written as well as what they are saying is difficult. Gavin, who is herself the editor, makes everything worse in the early scenes by allowing everything to go too fast. There is no pause, no breathing space, for us to absorb the information given and even when archive footage is used there is frequently far too much fast editing.
It's an approach that bombards us with too much information too quickly and makes for demanding viewing. What’s more it delays our own ability to become fully immersed in what is unfolding. However, as is evidenced by the fact that Beyond Utopia won an audience award at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, we are drawn in more as the film proceeds. Even so, and despite her deep commitment, I cannot regard Madeleine Gavin's film as a work that is distinguished on an aesthetic level. Nevertheless, by its close it has painted a portrait of life in North Korea so rich in detail that for many it will be revelatory and that is a fine achievement in itself.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Featuring Seungeun Kim, Hyeonseo Lee, Soyeon Lee, Sue Mi Terry, Barbara Demick, Gwang Il Jung, Jean Lee, Sukeel Park, Jinhae Roh, Jinpyeong Roh, Yonggil Roh, Yeongbok Woo, Esther Park, Hyukchang Wu, Yeonghee Woo, Cheonghi Woo.
Dir Madeleine Gavin, Pro Jana Edelbaum, Rachel Cohen and Sue Mi Terry, Ph Kim Hyunseok, Ed Madeleine Gavin, Music Adam Taylor and Taylor Page.
The deNovo Initiative/19340 Productions/Human Rights Foundation/Random Good Foundation/XRM Media/iDeal Partners Film Fund-Dogwoof Releasing.
115 mins. USA/UK. 2023. UK Rel: 27 October 2023. Cert. 15.
