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Reviews
Comrade Kim Goes Flying (2012)
DPRK escapist fun
It's important to remember that this is a film made for North Koreans not us, so if you're looking for a realistic exposé of the country - poverty, repression and all - this isn't the film to find it. This is meant to be escapist comedy. (North Koreans are already well aware of the reality anyway.) That said, it does push the boundaries of DPRK cinema. In a place were Confucianism and fascist/socialism rule, this is a film that portrays a woman being assertive and using her charm and wiles to achieve an individual rather than a collective goal, triumphing over men including her elders and superiors, in the process. That alone makes it unique.
The plot is rather predictable, though getting there has its fun moments. The characters seemed to lie on the threshold between being one-dimensional and likable. There were several laugh-out-loud moments that show even in a place of poverty and repression, husbands and wives bicker and that one shouldn't mess with a mother-in-law.
The cinematography and scenery beckon back to Hollywood movies of the 1960s and there is an innocent Doris Day quality to it. It's a feel good, non-political movie that is definitely worth the 90 minute investment.