This is a very good film. A book about the incredible true story provides more details: "A Kim Jung-Il Production." And it is details that are missing from the film version such as: 1] Did Choi & Shin bring their children from South Korea to the US? 2] What became of Choi's two children with his mistress? Also, some other details which would only have taken a few minutes to add might have been: --when Choi & Shin met, Choi was in an abusive marriage from which he rescued her, in essence.
--when Shin's mistress died, her rival, Choi was the only person in attendance at her funeral.
These equally fascinating details which I learned from the book might have been of interest and added to the fullness of the narrative.
Otherwise, this film does a marvelous job of placing one in the terror, the abject state of a captured trophy performer. The true details of Shin's incarceration are far more brutal than was portrayed, however.
The absurdity of North Korea's megalomania-cal rulers and Kim Jung-Il's fondness for film are comical save for the devastating effects on the kidnapped, caged humans in his menagerie. Kim also had US servicemen who defected & had not finished high school become professors of the English department at North Korean universities. And, he had them star in films as evil Americans, of course.
This may be the most bizarre true story about world class film-making to date.
--when Shin's mistress died, her rival, Choi was the only person in attendance at her funeral.
These equally fascinating details which I learned from the book might have been of interest and added to the fullness of the narrative.
Otherwise, this film does a marvelous job of placing one in the terror, the abject state of a captured trophy performer. The true details of Shin's incarceration are far more brutal than was portrayed, however.
The absurdity of North Korea's megalomania-cal rulers and Kim Jung-Il's fondness for film are comical save for the devastating effects on the kidnapped, caged humans in his menagerie. Kim also had US servicemen who defected & had not finished high school become professors of the English department at North Korean universities. And, he had them star in films as evil Americans, of course.
This may be the most bizarre true story about world class film-making to date.