Be glad you live in Canada. Today the world is in a mess. With two wars raging the
world is a dangerous place. At least in The west you can still say what’s on your mind
with little fear. This is not the case in repressive regimes and so called countries like
Russia or Iran or for that matter China. Citizens In These countries can ( and do) go to
jail if they dare criticize the government in their homelands, By far the worst offender of
human rights on the planet is North Korea. In a devastating look into the mistreatment of
their own citizens comes along Beyond Utopia from Mongrel Media. And it’s quite the
wake-up call. Even the name of this documentary from sounds spooky. More important
it paints an accurate accounting of the fear people live in this cut off country run by a
homicidal maniac. Venture out to the VanCity theatre to get the goods and see the fear
of life inside North Korea and the rays of hope.
People want to be free. Unfortunately that just isn’t the case for those poor lost souls
living in North Korea which is still being run by a ruthless lunatic. Beyond Utopia gets
down and personal as it shows how a brave family tries to escape the shackles of terror
and flee to a safe haven. This is no easy task.
Through smuggled out footage of life in modern North Korea we see just how
brainwashed ( and brain dead) it’s citizens are. You feel the fear of the masses in this
movie where its citizens are cut off from the rest of the works with no phone service,
internet or television. Here everything is controlled top down – just like in Russia or Iran.
Or for that matter not so free China. Only worse. Far, far worse. Director Madeleine
Gavin deserves lots of credit for making this important movie.
You will be mesmerized as this film shows the plight of how one family plans an escape.
Aided and abetted by a brave pastor in China and a group of somewhat shady brokers
this family goes on an unbelievable journey crossing a River and scaling a mountain or
two all constantly under the threat of death and capture by North Korean border patrols
or Chinese soldiers under orders to return any escapees to North Korea for a hefty
bounty too I might add.
Following all this in the comfort of a theatre or at home through video on demand shows
just how fortunate we truly are to be free. The planning, danger and emotion of this
group on the road to freedom and going against all odds reads something like an Ian
Fleming thriller without all that Sean Connery 007 glamour a la James Bond
(Robert Waldman)