My Brothers and Sisters in the North

I'm a communist, I like to know currently stuff intimately. This is a film I waited a very long time to watch with lots of anticipation. I would be lying if I said I didn't cry at least 20 separate times. It's horrendous that Korea broke into two countries. One favoring safety of the people and communism. One favoring freedom and fascism.

It hurts me so much to know how many families are split up even to this day. It pains me how my Korean American friends speak about North Korea. My best friend Gayeon, in 3rd grade someone asked her if she was from North Korea. "do I have bullet wounds all over my body?" Everyone laughed. That happy memory for years now haunts me as a communist adult. "North Korea" isn't an idea to me. It's the people's republic. Every communist ideology has its demons, its famines, its deaths, etc etc.

When you watch this film keep in mind that the director had to change her entire life to make it as a South Korean citizen. Relinquishing her citizenship to even make this film so people might watch it and understand the truth.

All I ask from anyone is to not believe North Korean influencers in America. "We ate mud pies and drank pee and we're all shuffled into camps" I implore anyone who sees this review. Look up Democratic Public of Korea's waterparks, their skating parks, any of those things. North Korea cares for its people and their protection more than any other country.

This documentary is very sincere and respectful towards the culture of North Korea in a way I have never seen as an American, and the director surrendered her South Korean citizenship to become a citizen of Germany just to make this outstanding film.

Sun Hyung Cho has accomplished something with this project that may not be duplicated again in the near future.

What struck me were the good things about North Korea - the director mentions that she feels melancholy viewing the natural landscape which has been preserved in NK in a way that has been eroded in the South due to capitalist development. There were some really interesting forms of sustainable living in the agricultural sector and the people interviewed showed themselves to be truly individuals with preferences and talents of their own, despite the overwhelming conformity of their devotion to their leader which is almost like a religious person worshiping a god. They could have swapped out his name with Jesus, that was a little unsettling.