fiction.wikisort.org - Movie

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.

The Lovers and the Despot
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Robert Cannan Ross Adam
Written by	Robert Cannan Ross Adam
Produced by	Ross Adam Robert Cannan Sheryl Crown Natasha Dack
Starring	Choi Eun-hee Shin Sang-ok Kim Jong-il
Narrated by	Choi Eun-hee
Edited by	Jim Hession
Music by	Nathan Halpern
Production companies	Magnolia Pictures British Film Institute Creative England BBC Storyville The Documentary Company Hellflower Film Submarine Tigerlily Films
Distributed by	Soda Pictures Magnolia Pictures
Release dates	22 January 2016 (2016-01-22) (Sundance Film Festival) 23 September 2016 (2016-09-23)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Languages	English Korean Japanese

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

• Abduction of Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee
• Pulgasari

References

External links

• The Lovers and the Despot at the distributor's website
• The Lovers and the Despot at IMDb
• The Lovers and the Despot on Facebook
• The Lovers and the Despot official trailer on YouTube
• The Lovers and the Despot at Twitter

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