Beyond Utopia dir. Madeleine Gavin (Audience US Documentary Winner)

by Sienna Axe and Morgan Stone

Sienna: This is a really, really harrowing watch, and it's kind of miraculous that it exists at all. My one big qualm was how clearly it was made by and for Americans—for a documentary that isn't about anyone from or in the US, they sure do mention it a hell of a lot, often seemingly as a "familiar" reference point against North Korea for the audience to grab onto. None of that takes away from the meat of the film, of course—I just wish it had been allowed to speak for itself a little more. It was more than powerful enough to manage doing so.

Morgan: Gavin releases scarcely seen footage in Beyond Utopia of the difficult journey of defecting and escaping North Korea, and it was a tough watch. The journey just for them to escape North Korea is harrowing, then it's an even longer journey to safety through several countries, and a lot of treacherous circumstances. In terms of filmmaking, my only critique is that the film didn't let me forget that I was watching a documentary, especially with it's almost overpowering emotional music. It continued to build and build and drive your emotions, but in a very overt way. It almost limited it, and I wish that these people's stories and the footage was able to shine through on it's own. Regardless, this was a fantastic documentary, and a very important piece of history. It's something we should all watch and be aware of.