Under The Sun (2016) - Vitaliy Manskiy

While there have been quite a few documentaries made from inside North Korea, none of them come close to the access and artistry provided by Vitaliy Manskiy's Under The Sun, a truly harrowing portrait the hermit kingdom.  Over the course of a full year, the film documents the life of an ordinary Pyongyang family, one whose daughter is just now joining the children's union, and has been chosen to take part in one of the famous "Spartakiads" dance troops.  The film was completely overseen by the North Korean government, who viewed this film as a great propaganda tool to demonstrate the success of their way of life, which only makes the film's ability to capture the starkness of this oppressive regime all the more impressive.  Under The Sun is truly a masterclass in visual storytelling, a film that is forced to rely so heavily on its visual artistry due to the government overseeing every detail.  Every scene of this film is scripted, staged, and overseen by the North Korean government and yet, the chilling reality of this oppressive, communist regime is felt in nearly every frame.  Everything in this film feels cold, desolate, detached, and manufactured, with the foggy, grey skies perfectly evoking the detachment and coldness this oppressive regime has created, one in which many citizens feel like they are sleepwalking through life.  The portraits of both Kim Jung-Il & Kim Ill-Sung are oppressively prevalent throughout Under The Sun, being both in public spaces like train stations and schools, but also in the families' home, as Under The Sun visually evokes the prevalence of these portraits in a borderline 1984 perspective, one in which the nations deceased leaders continue to watch over its people and control their lives.  Intertitles added in post are truly the only aspect of Under The Sun that wasn't approved by North Korea, which is used sparingly to provide context into what exactly we are seeing.  For example, at one point the film documents the father's "stellar" work as a prestigious engineer at the garment factory, with intertitles appearing to explain that the government changed his job last minute to this more presigious offering, intent on providing the most positive perspective possible. The most harrowing aspects come in the young girl's indoctrination into the North Korean way of life, with the classroom sequences being truly surreal due to the way they "educate" their citizens.  Education is completely rooted in regurgitation of the various lies and propaganda sold by the regime, with the children reciting word-for-word back to their teachers exactly what they are told,  a practice that is completely divulged of critical thinking.  The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be lit, yet Under The Sun captures how this form of intelligence is non-existent in this country, where everyone simply regurgitates what they are told.  Perhaps the most stunning aspect of Under The Sun is simply how devoid of emotion the people of North Korea are, operating almost like robots as they go about their day-to-day.  In one scene the young girl has a bit of an emotional breakdown, crying due to her frustration around not being able to pick up the dance routine quickly.  The scene is fascinating because it feels out-of-place, one of the rare instances throughout the entire film where an individual, not the collective is documented, with the young girl's emotion being hers and hers alone.  The final scene of Under The Sun is particularly tragic, a scene in which the mother attempts to cheer up her daughter for the sake of this perceived propaganda film, telling her "think of something funny".  The daughter's response being "I can't", a harrowing moment that captures the void of free will left under this collectivist, oppressive regime.  The states oppressive regime feels tangible throughout Under The Sun, a film that says one thing but shows another, being a truly powerful and important portrait of the hermit kingdom and its truly draconic way of life.  

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