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Called “The Hermit Kingdom,” North Korea is an enigma wrapped in a quagmire of misinformation, international distrust, and fear. In the middle of this are the people of North Korea, isolated from the world by their own government. Are they “puppets” of the North Korean government that many claim, or everyday people trying to live their lives and support their families under the strain of chronic malnutrition, deprivation, and total control by their government? In truth, they are both. Even under such hardship, they are fiercely proud of their country and have an abiding, and even religious fervor for the Kim family, who have ruled the tiny kingdom for more than 65 years.
“Playing Frisbee In North Korea” begins in Tumen City, China guided by Young Pioneer Tours several years before they conducted the ill-fated Otto Warmbier tour. Savanna’s group was only the second tour group to take their "Extreme Northeast" tour visiting cities that few Americans ever see - Chongjin and Hoeryong, among others - far outside of the showcase capital of Pyongyang. Under constant surveillance by minders, filmmaker Savanna Washington manages to capture footage rarely seen by those outside of North Korea by shooting undercover in prohibited areas.
Crossing the bridge into North Korea from China, the country seems trapped in time. Each family is under constant surveillance by the “People's Unit Head,” a person responsible for 30-50 families to make sure of their loyalty to the regime. Any small breach or disparaging word against Kim Jong Un or the Kim family dynasty can result in being put in brutal forced labor camps along with their families.
North Korea has a three-generation rule – three generations of a family pay for the “crimes” of the “criminal.” The crime can be as small as calling Kim Jong Un fat. For North Korean refugees such as “SooJin” (name changed to protect her identity), Mrs. Kim Young Soon and others, this was their accepted landscape.
Through this rare footage from inside N. Korea, interviews with N. Korean refugees, long time aid workers, scholars, and experts on the topic, this feature length documentary provides an authentic, on the ground perspective of the lives, struggles, and humanity of the people of North Korea. It also helps towards a greater understanding of this enigmatic country and its people in the country known as the "Land of Morning Calm."
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Credits: Aardvark Alley Films LLC. Distributed by American Public Television
