I don't think it's like a North Korean documentary; more like a North Korean documentary on how North Korea conducts its political propaganda.
When watching the film, I kept thinking about the so-called ideological problem: the audience understands the content within the framework of ideology, and all the content we believe is actually full of prejudice.
I don't really have much experience with the content of the film. The little girl who beat Hache while listening to the lecture kept repeating the patriotic activities of Kim Jong-un's teacher who defeated the Japanese devils, the students running in a neat line, and singing and dancing on the "Kim Jong-un" festival. Presumably the West would find this a totally incredible, human rights-violating socialist centralization; but in the eyes of the Chinese (at least to me), this is some commonplace "superficial work".
Who hasn't been asked by the school to go to a lecture together? Who didn't desert the lectures and rush homework? Who hasn't had a morning workout? Who hasn't cut corners during morning workouts, or even pretended not to be there? Who hasn't participated in a singing competition? Who really loves great leaders more because of singing competitions? We have all participated in military training, but none of us remembered how to walk neatly after the military training; elementary school raised the national flag every day, played the national anthem, and was criticized for not wearing a red scarf. A red scarf of 5 cents; during the 129 event, everyone sang patriotic songs. After 129, everyone should still listen to hippop, hippop, and ancient style.
What about North Korea? What's behind such superficial repetition? Is this superficial or more powerful brainwashing?
I have no idea.
So from the content of the plot itself, it didn't make me feel anything "under the sun". And the so-called content of the Western world may be just peeking at the leopard in the tube and looking at the person in the fun mirror.
Compared with the influence on the West, this film has a sense of "self-mockery" for us, in addition to the "sad" feeling. We are also a so-called communist country and have experienced the Cultural Revolution, and part of our education is no different from North Korea's "superficial propaganda". The shadow under the sun today is North Korea, will China repeat the same mistakes without even knowing it...?
As for the details that the North Koreans "directed" the documentary, which was emphasized by the director... What I feel is not that all of this is absurd as it is staged, but the absurdity of North Korea's definition of "a good documentary". On the one hand, according to North Korea's requirements, is this a documentary or a propaganda film? The words of the great leader Kim Jong-un appear in almost every sentence from class, learning to dance, joining the Young Pioneers, and festivals... After watching the film, what I remember is definitely not this little girl, but her great leader Kim Jong-un. ..
Anyway, on the other hand, I think the most ridiculous and scary thing about this movie is its definition of "good work". There are some very "interesting" scenes in this film. The one that impressed me the most is the part where the little girl eats kimchi and the part where the teacher is in class.
Eat kimchi:
Dad: You need to eat 100g of kimchi and drink 70ml of kimchi juice every day, so that one day's vitamins are enough.
Daughter: I know, it can prevent aging and cancer, so there are many benefits.
I:? ? ? ? Isn't nitrite in kimchi carcinogenic? ? Eating kimchi can prevent aging when kimchi is a formalin specimen? (Okay, I checked Baidu later and found that Baidu also has different opinions... Anyway, 100g kimchi and 70ml kimchi water are too exaggerated? Is this the only way to eat with kimchi??)
Attend class:
Teacher: Our great leader, Comrade Kim Jong-un, picked up stones and drove away the Japanese devils, landlords and Americans, who were all kleptocrats
Teacher: Landlords and Japanese devils are both villains and robbers.
Teacher: Who taught them a lesson?
Me: Provoking class conflicts at such a young age...? Stones drive the Japs away...? Why does it feel like the teacher keeps repeating those few sentences... And "Kim Jong-un" always has a long line of adjectives before it, which sounds as miraculous as "Loyalty God, Wu Ling, You Ren, Yong Wei, and Guan Sheng Emperor".
And these "stories" that seem ridiculous to us are good "propaganda" in their eyes. A "model life" in their capital, Pyongyang.
What is life like in North Korea?
I think this is the answer.
ANYWAY, but I still think the director's subjective color in this film is too heavy.
There are 2 pieces of music in the film that I am deeply impressed by, one is the subway station after the Young Pioneers commended, and the other is a family photo. Because apart from the event itself, music and empty mirrors have always been two aspects that can mobilize the atmosphere. In the subway station, if you change the music, edit the rhythm, and change the tone, I think it can be completely changed to the feeling that everyone is happy and happy for the New Year. The North Korean subway is convenient, fast, and the people are harmonious. The moving speed is not so slow, the music is not so lonely, the color tone is not so dark, and it can be edited into the happiness of a child finally becoming a young pioneer...
The shooting angle is also very directional. There is a passage in the film that really impressed me: 1 female teacher is holding 2 students and it looks like they are going to... learn to dance? A panning shot, from 3 people up the stairs - a huge statue - the leader's head portrait, and then a super high-position overhead shot, in another scene, you said to take them to the execution ground, I also believe...
In this shooting, the director came with the motive of revealing the ugly, but it was a good name. The director and the North Korean official are in a state of "deceiving each other": you arrange all my plots, and I have dual cards and dual standbys to hide an SD card.
On the one hand, I think the director didn't know and understand North Korea first. What is socialism like? Why is this "socialism" in North Korea so different? Based on North Korea's economy and population, what might North Korea look like? Has North Korea ever had a "good" period in his eyes? Why is it bad now? I think the director just went and filmed with his own understanding and arrogance, and cut the film into the way he wanted. (Or maybe he brought his knowledge and history of Russia's socialist era)
On the other hand, from an ethical point of view...I am very worried about the fate of the little girl even with a clip like this...I think it is better to let the little girl out than to make such a documentary that is not strong enough Let's live (
ps: I think with the director’s limited material, it’s actually not suitable for cutting into the style of “Shadow under the Sun”... If (just look at the effect, regardless of ethics) I feel that it is cut into “The Life of the Disgusted Matsuko” and In the style of "Reporting to the Boss", it will be more ironic to achieve the effect of irony by repeating funny classics.
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