BEYOND UTOPIA: A Story of Hope and Heartbreak as Defectors Flee North Korea
By Movieguide® Contributor
Director Madeline Gavin explains what she hoped to show the realities of life inside North Korea through her documentary thriller BEYOND UTOPIA.
The documentary tells the story of the 70-year regime that has ruled for all of North Korea’s history. It shows the brutality of the country without any recreated or staged footage and captures a family’s desperate attempt to escape.
“There was a certain amount of brutality that we needed to include early on, so that the audience understood why they were fleeing and what they were fleeing from,” Gavin told TheWrap. “I went into this project with the strong desire to bring all of us face to face with people of North Korea in a very intimate, profound way.”
While brutality and darkness were necessary for Gavin to tell this story, she also highlights hope and the bravery found in those who fight back against the regime.
“I guess I can feel optimism in the sense that we followed escapes out of North Korea and there is positive energy in that. Just in the pure courage and the momentum on an act like that,” she said. “After watching the film, a lot of people have actually said to me that it is one of the most tragic and heartbreaking – and yet one of the most hopeful – films. Which is really important.”
To really explore the story of fleeing the country, Gavin wanted to focus on “present-tense” stories and highlight real people escaping. However, she did not want to jeopardize an already difficult escape.
“Our policy was that we would not do anything that wasn’t already being done by the ‘Underground Railroad,’ she explained. “Our subjects were at risk, and they knew that. The most important thing was that we didn’t put them in even greater risk.”
Per the documentary’s description, the underground railroad “serves as the only hope for North Koreans desperate to escape a life of oppression and to embrace a new world of freedom.”
While doing her research for her present-tense storylines, Gavin worked closely with Soyeon Lee, a woman who had previously defected from North Korea and who put her in contact with a man who organizes many of the escapes.
“She and I would brainstorm about this [project] and she was very much on board with the idea of a present-tense story. Then I met pastor Kim in 2019. It did take many months for him to trust us,” Gavin said. “We explained we were really interested in showing that North Koreans go through both insides their country and in attempting to escape.”
Pastor Seungeun Kim “leads the Caleb Mission, a South Korea-based Christian church that bills itself as a modern-day Underground Railroad for North Koreans. He and his network of smugglers and activists have helped more than 1,000 North Koreans reach safety,” Politico reported.
BEYOND UTOPIA is now available.
Part of Movieguide®’s review reads:
BEYOND UTOPIA is not only important to be seen but it’s also exciting and heartrending. The movie exposes the extreme poverty, tyranny and widespread starvation the socialist policies of North Korea’s communist leaders have created. BEYOND UTOPIA has documentary footage showing the horrors and brutality committed by North Korea’s socialist regime. So, serious caution is advised for younger people, but BEYOND UTOPIA should be seen by older teenagers, college students and everyone else.
Movieguide® previously reported:
BEYOND UTOPIA shares the devastating journey that North Koreans face in order to escape their communist country.
The documentary features Pastor Sengeun Kim as he rescues people attempting to flee.
Pastor Kim has rescued over 1,000 North Koreans since 2000.
The documentary follows different people, but one woman featured, Soyeon Lee, was forced to leave her son behind when she escaped.
“I like to ask people to pray for me and also pray for those families who are separate,” Soyeon told CBN News. “They’re their own family because of the North Korean regime.”
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