隐秘的朝鲜

BBC三名记者假扮伦敦政治经济学院学生混入朝鲜，共8天的行程中拍摄了包括朝鲜农场宴会、芭蕾舞团演出、朝韩两国非军事区等一系列场景。尽管学校强烈抗议，他们还是坚持播了出来。

Regardless of liberal political allegations, this documentary to some extent provides a typical example of failure in filmmaking. The director tried to make contrast with absolute oppositional situations. However, for me, documentary-making ought to be a thought-provoking art instead of a propagative tool. In other words, the director starts to inquiry and to interrogate, but answers belong to the audience. For this documentary, the director tries to insert his interpretations along the way.

Overwhelming hostility distracted the audience, preventing their attention from some humanistic issues, such as poverty and famines.

Apparently, the director is constructing a contrast between two different worlds, North Korea and South Korea. While people in South Korea, according to one BBC journalist, celebrated the individuality, the freedom of mobility and the freedom of religion, citizens in North Korea suffered from poverty, political suppression and unpredictable “US conspiracy”. Citizens’ hostility towards the US is masterly embedded with their explorations of ideologies. By having an insight into ordinary people’s worldview, the director aims to argue that North Korea is a country which is built on powers of words and the religion of “Kim-ism”. However, his efforts do not answer his question which emerged at the beginning of this documentary: “Is the North Korean’s military plan of the nuclear war trustful? Or it is only a way to sustain the operation of this regime?”

More importantly, the director is lack of a kind of empathy. Images concerning about starving people, collapsed economy and shabby villages, were simply examples to prove the failure of this totalitarian regime. I admit that many development-related issues are closely associated with political elements. They sacrifice because of politics. I am too desperate to advocate a solution. Maybe the best solution is to do more research. But is this helpful? I have no idea.

A three-star review is completely reasonable. But it is ridiculous to stop here. I try to avoid a radical view because sometimes it worsens situations. But I will not give up reconsidering and reevaluating.