65
Metascore
23 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80VarietyJustin ChangVarietyJustin ChangWhile a more thorough archival survey of Choi and Shin’s work together (pre- and post-abduction) would have allowed for a deeper perspective, this real-life romantic thriller/escape saga still boasts enough fascinating details and angles to qualify as essential stranger-than-fiction viewing.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyThe Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyFascinating on personal, political and cinematic levels, the film resourcefully plumbs all sorts of resources, including secret tape recordings of Kim himself, but also omits certain aspects of the tale that would merely have added to its intrigue.
- 80Time Out LondonDave CalhounTime Out LondonDave CalhounThe Lovers and the Despot is compelling as a Cold War-era thriller, but it also offers a small window on life in the higher echelons of power in North Korea at that time.
- 75ConsequenceDominick Suzanne-MayerConsequenceDominick Suzanne-MayerAs both an utterly mad true story and as a document of the boundless reach of the cinema across borders and cultures and even ideologies, The Lovers and the Despot is wild, valuable viewing for all.
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreA tale worthy of a hundred Cold War thrillers.
- 70Screen DailyDavid D'ArcyScreen DailyDavid D'ArcyThe visual textures of The Lovers and the Despot, edited by Jim Hession — and the Kim audio tapes — make for vibrant cinema.
- 67The PlaylistOliver LytteltonThe PlaylistOliver LytteltonThe tale of Choi and Shin is a true stranger-than-fiction one, as good a piece of material as a filmmaker could help for. It’s just a shame that, for the most part, The Lovers And The Despot feels like it’s giving you the Cliff Notes version of the story.
- 63Slant MagazineEd GonzalezSlant MagazineEd GonzalezThe haphazard blending of fact and clips from disparate films unrelated to Shin Sang-ok and Choi Eun-hee's ordeal confuses an already intricate tale.
- 42The Film StageDaniel SchindelThe Film StageDaniel SchindelThe most frustrating aspect of The Lovers and the Despot is its refusal to do more than simply recite its tale, ignoring the interesting concepts lurking within it.
- 40The GuardianJordan HoffmanThe GuardianJordan HoffmanIt’s one hell of a yarn, which makes The Lovers and the Despot’s strangely soporific style something of a disappointment.