rowandriscoll
The Red Chappel is the first feature documentary by Mads Brügger, it follows him and two South Korean/Danish comedians going to North Korea to put on a purposely bad comedy show. It serves as a comedy and a tragedy, it exposes the horrors of the oppressive culture in North Korea while still displays it in a humorous way. The writing and premise for this documentary are both very intelligent but there are some drawbacks,ones that are a given for this type of documentary. The cinematography isn't great and the audio ranges from meh to bad but the worst problem with the film by far is the conclusions that Mads makes with no proof or reason to reach said conclusion. Since he is in North Korea he cant ask people what they are thinking so he just assumes what they're thinking and it runes otherwise great scenes. Overall its a smart, funny and ballsy film and I would recommend it to anyone.
Jesse Boland
And it's not like those poor people's lives have gotten any better under the third Il. This movie is so good, and the truth is so close to being seen. What a sick and twisted hell North Korea must be unless you are a chosen few. It makes me wonder how I would be in this type of world. You wonder if you will be a snitch, or take a stand. You can not know until you have to live it though. You really feel how hard it is to keep up this farce for the two Danish/Korean comediennes. Great use of all of the different film sources, and the sound it extremely good. I would assume that the North Koreans would have provided some excellent sound clips that were deemed suitable. Enjoy.
Stephen Black
This is on Netflix and is available for streaming. There is an English version there also. Having lived in South Korea for 7 years and being a speaker of Korea myself I learned quite a bit about life in North Korea. This documentary did a great job at showing you just how messed up life is there. I respect other cultures but embrace differences but the difference there is not something worthy of being accepted by anyone. A great watch for anyone interested in North Korea. The English title is The Red Chapel . Great laughs while learning something at the same time. Recommended watch. One review here struck me wrong. To say the leadership in NK does not care about the outside perceptions of their country is not correct. The leadership of NK has always taken EXTREME measures to protect what they consider the worlds view of them. Some of the antics by Kim Jung Ill and his Father were almost funny to watch. The story of the flags in the JSA is a good mine is bigger than yours story. Prior to Jung Ill dying he was known for wearing platform shoes to appear taller when on camera. It is also known that the people behave one way when cameras are on and another when off. All the time.
Tom
Mads Brügger seems to be the kind of documentary maker who approaches his subject matter with his mind already made up. He is not there to discover or investigate, but to tell you what he decided about North Korea and its people before he even set foot in the country.Under the pretext of a cultural exchange, Brügger traveled to Pyongyang with two Danish comics of Korean descent: tough-looking tattooed Simon, and 19-year-old spastic Jacob. They were to put on a theatrical performance, and document the process in a film. The North Koreans saw it as an opportunity to boost their image and slip in a bit of propaganda, unaware that these guys are really mocking them and are determined to expose the North Korea as the oppressive evil regime that it is. Throughout the film, Brügger's narration tells us that North Korea and its people are evil, duplicitous, conniving and manipulative. A lot of what he says about the oppression and brutality of the regime is probably true. But he does not seem to have any insight beyond what a regular westerner who occasionally reads about North Korea in the news would have. And I don't know what qualifies him to make one superlative statement after another, passing personal opinions off as expert knowledge, presenting speculation as fact. No sources or evidence is ever cited. He says of Mrs Park, the guide assigned to their party: it's most likely that she learnt her English in the army; her English is more suited to interrogation than small talk; she works for the Secret Service. Of a group of clapping school children, he declares: they are clapping out of fear. He may be right, or he may not be. There is no evidence to suggest one way or the other. He is seeing only what he wants to see, and does not attempt to reach beneath the surface or understand his subjects.Despite his young age, Jacob provided the most poignant and valuable insights. Obliged by his assignment to play along as the friendly and grateful visitor, Jacob is tormented by the duplicity of his role, knowing that the North Korean people around him will be torn to shreds in the final film. "There is more than one side to a question... It's not that simple", he wails in his "spastic Danish". Brügger is eager to show that North Koreans are duplicitous, conniving and manipulative. We can only speculate on the motives and purposes of the outwardly polite Korean hosts. But we do know that, the whole time Brügger is singing the praises of North Korea in front of his hosts and expressing his gratitude towards them, he has nothing but contempt and hatred for them. Seeing this behaviour, Jacob confronts him: "Don't you have any moral scruples?" "None, not when it comes to North Korea," he replies.Beyond manipulating his North Korean hosts, Brügger is not beneath manipulating the two young comics either. In one scene, Jacob asks Brügger to translate for him. Brügger says something completely different. "That's not what I said," Jacob says angrily. "Stop lying." Brügger ignores him and does it again. Perhaps Brügger's clearest insight in the film is when he wonders if he is manipulating Jacob for his own propaganda as much as the North Koreans are trying to do.As a documentary on life in North Korea, I think this film is heavy handed and one-dimensional. But, perhaps inadvertently, it is interesting as a study of human nature, and how people on different sides of an ideological divide might not be that different after all. I wish Jacob had been in charge of the film.
