Under the Sun

A quietly unsettling look at staged joy, where forced smiles and pastel rituals slowly reveal a surreal, controlled reality.

Directed by

Vitaly Mansky

Genres

Documentary

Starring

Lee Zin-mi, Yu-yong, Hye-yong

Overview

Over the course of one year, this film follows the life of an ordinary Pyongyang family whose daughter was chosen to take part in Day of the Shining Star (Kim Jong-il's birthday) celebration. While North Korean government wanted a propaganda film, the director kept on filming between the scripted scenes. The ritualized explosions of color and joy contrast sharply with pale everyday reality, which is not particularly terrible, but rather quite surreal.

How it feels

Eerie, satirical, bleak and melancholic. Slow-burning and needs your attention.

About

Politics, media, power, identity

Content

Mild violence and language. No gore or sexual content.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)