Dir. Vitaly Mansky. 110 minutes.
4.5/5
Shot in “the best country in the world” (i.e., the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea), this documentary follows Lee Zin-Mi, an 8-year-old girl whose dearest dream is to join the Korean Children’s Union. Filmed with the approval of North Korean authorities, “Under the Sun” is a curious work of counter-propaganda. It rarely deviates from an official script, and yet, through subtle use of editing and other cues, gives a revealing look into the bizarre, hyper-orderly lives of ordinary North Koreans.
In one scene, Zin-Mi’s family sits around the dinner table, happily chatting about the nutritional value of kimchi. Then, we’re shown take two of this “spontaneous” conversation — then takes three, four, five and so on. The production crew emerges, evidently not aware that the camera is still running, and instructs the family on the proper inflections they should use while expressing their scripted delight about DPRK life. It’s the ultimate “behind the scenes” footage.
Elsewhere, the same effect is achieved without subterfuge. A classroom scene shows rows of children sitting ramrod-straight, dutifully reeling off key episodes from Korean history — for instance, when Great Leader Kim Il-Sung defeated the Japanese by throwing boulders at them. Director Vitaly Mansky understands his audience; the North Korean authorities do not. Presumably, they expected international audiences would find this spectacle impressive rather than weird and depressing.
Attempting any sort of tomfoolery under the noses of the Ministry of People’s Security is, of course, exceptionally audacious. Mansky’s opus deserves a look from anyone even passingly curious about how the other half lives.
