Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Whitech It is not only a funny movie, but it allows a great amount of joy for anyone who watches it.

Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Cody One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

sergeimontoya I don't usually weep, but this one hits me and i haven't weeped since the other infamous Korean movie Hello Ghost.To conclude simply over my summary, movie wise, North korean struggle movie had seemed to be a cliché at the Korean movie industry. It really sounded simple, a family has struggling to live at NK, problem comes out, family separated in order to search for hope that seems impossible at North Korea, etc etcBut after execution, its way more different than what i expected, the synopsis and movie descriptions are too simple to describe it that you have to watch it yourself. You feel their pain, their sorrow, their hope, their life trip along the movie, even with the simplest details and scenes.==contain spoiler== I really expected this to be one of those movie attmepting to give u a cheap tearjerker and ends up with a happy ending. But after the movie progress, even if the boy made it to his father, a happy ending would've still give this movie a good rating and won't break themselves as a cliché ending, i would've been way more glad if the boy survived. But no, this movie reminds us the harsh cold truth, that there are a lot of people who had high hopes, they've seen the lights at the end of the tunnel , even many times. But at the end, even when things seemed to be able to get a happy ending, it ended terribly, and all those hopes were nullified to 0 at an instance. I didn't see that ending coming.

johnnyrj Having read Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick, Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden and The Aquariums of Pyongyang by Chol-hwan Kang & Pierre Rigoulot, I was very interested in finding a movie that dealt with the unfortunate realities of modern day North Korea as is detailed in the aforementioned books. I was not disappointed.Keurosing is a look at a grim reality that most people would rather just ignore. It's a dark, depressing journey. Anyone who has seen Grave of the Fireflies will know what I'm talking about. The movie is well directed and the acting is very good. I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in North Korea and has read any of the books I've previously mentioned.

Furuya Shiro This is a "heavy" movie.The plights of the North Korean society and homes depicted here is something you can not believe your eyes, but from many documents such as the reports from those who have escaped from there, we can imagine the movie scenes are close to reality. This is the country of complete oppression. In 1960's we saw North Korea as a poor but hopeful country. In fact, many Koreans living in Japan returned to North Korea to join the building of "paradise on earth". But since then, the country kept going downward. Nowadays they are isolated at the dead end. The reason why such country still survives is that by giving people at the power side extreme privilege, so that they want to keep the regime made of fictions.In such a country there is a family of the father, once a hero of soccer team, and his loving wife, and their son who likes soccer too. The atmosphere of the family which is poor but tied with love emphasizes how loveless the country is.In fact, looking at the officials of the camp or boarder security, I could not help wondering if it is possible for the same human being become arrogant and cruel like this. I feel some sense of impotence, because I can do nothing to the situation close to my country.This movie focuses on the fate of a family. This is beyond a propaganda movie to accuse North Korea, nor to glamorize the rescue group. This portrays the dignity of human being.

thekimchicure Initially, I agreed with one of the previous comments about the "ex-football star" background of the protagonist. The tidbit seemed cheap, unreal, and less authentic. The more I thought about it though, I suspect that the choice was made for two reasons: 1) to make the protagonist appeal to the rest of world, especially South Koreans, by creating this common interest (football/"soccer"). I think the world has a hard time relating to North Koreans. Americans and some South Koreans have this phobia of communist countries. Furthermore, North Koreans have been in a hermit state for a very long time. Very little is known or seen of the North Korean citizens themselves. The football thing was a simple way of making people realize that North Koreans are human beings, and in some ways they're just like us. 2) to show that the protagonist was not against the North Korean government. Well, at least not outwardly. I think this film did a good job of staying away from direct commentary on the N.K. government. Yes, the film paints the government in a bad light at times. That really can't be helped, as many of the scenes are based on true accounts. However, not once does the protagonist start ranting about how his government failed him. While there is heavy censorship in North Korea to speak against the government, the film could have had the protagonist 'think' these thoughts or discuss them safely with his family-- but it didn't. The main problem that the protagonist faces-- and that many North Koreans face-- is not that he resents his government (although, we like to think North Koreans do). His problem is that his family is starved, sick, and unable to find help in a country that lacks resources. For those two points, I have to applaud the film. I think it made a sincere effort to do what's best for the cause-- North Korean Human Rights-- and not just focus on what's best for the art.If anyone is interested in learning about how they can help, you can search the web for The Chosun Journal, U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, Liberty in North Korea, or Amnesty International's page on North Korea. Like any cause, donations are very important. But unlike most causes, I think the biggest challenge for N.K. Human Rights is that most of the world (and concerning, most South Koreans) ignores it. I hope this film succeeds in bringing more awareness to the plight of the suffering.