The Lovers and the Despot

2016 British film
  • Ross Adam
  • Robert Cannan
  • Sheryl Crown
  • Natasha Dack
StarringChoi Eun-hee
Shin Sang-ok
Kim Jong-ilNarrated byChoi Eun-heeEdited byJim HessionMusic byNathan Halpern
Production
companies
  • Magnolia Pictures
  • British Film Institute
  • Creative England
  • BBC Storyville
  • The Documentary Company
  • Hellflower Film
  • Submarine
  • Tigerlily Films
Distributed bySoda Pictures
Magnolia Pictures
Release dates
  • 22 January 2016 (2016-01-22) (Sundance Film Festival)
  • 23 September 2016 (2016-09-23)
Running time
95 minutesCountryUnited KingdomLanguagesEnglish
Korean
Japanese

The Lovers and the Despot is a 2016 British documentary film written and directed by Robert Cannan and Ross Adam, about the 1978 abduction of South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee, and film director Shin Sang-ok, by Kim Jong-il of North Korea. It was pitched at Sheffield Doc/Fest's 2014 MeetMarket.

Release

Critical response

The Lovers and the Despot has received positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 77%, based on 57 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's consensus states: "The Lovers and the Despot offers a compelling—albeit by no means comprehensive—look at one of the more bizarrely stranger-than-fiction episodes in cinematic history."[1] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 65 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[2]

Writing for The New York Times, Manohla Dargis stated that "Despite its flaws and will to kitsch, The Lovers and the Despot has enough enigmas and chills to merit a look, even if some of its spookier moments involve cinephilia rather than the usual weapons of mass destruction."[3]

In Jordan Hoffman's review for The Guardian, he wrote that "there’s an incredible story somewhere in this tale [...], but this documentary buries it by way of over-measured effects and chronic pussy-footing."[4] In a review for RogerEbert.com, Matt Zoller Seitz called it a "frustrating missed opportunity", saying it "takes a fascinating story about filmmaking, politics, kidnapping and propaganda and gives us almost no insight into the work of its two main characters."[5]

Box office

As of 3 November 2016, the film has grossed $55,511 at the box office.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Lovers and the Despot (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  2. ^ "The Lovers and the Despot reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  3. ^ Dargis, Manohla (22 September 2016). "Review: In 'The Lovers and the Despot,' a Harrowing Korean Ordeal". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  4. ^ Hoffman, Jordan (24 January 2016). "The Lovers and the Despot: study of Kim Jong-Il's cinephilia is hard to adore". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  5. ^ Seitz, Matt Zoller (23 September 2016). "The Lovers and the Despot". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  6. ^ "The Lovers and the Despot". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 10 November 2016.

External links

  • The Lovers and the Despot at the distributor's website
  • The Lovers and the Despot at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  • The Lovers and the Despot official trailer on YouTube