Reviewed by Heather Robertson
(August 2008) Director: Andrzej Fidyk
Writers: Andrzej Fidyk, Torstein Grude
Starring: Jung Sun San, Lee Min Bok, An Myong Choz, Kim Young Soon, Lee Young Kuk, Kim Tae Jim Compelled to convey the reality of North Korean concentration camps, director Andrzej Fidyk had the idea to create a theatrical stage production using the talents of North Korean defectors living in South Korea. After convincing director Jung Sung San to collaborate on the project, the musical Yoduk Story was born. It became the most successful musical in South Korea, and premiered in the U.S. in 2006. Yoduk Story also became the basis of a documentary, Yodok Stories. Fidyk's documentary uses interviews with former prisoners whose true stories are featured in Yoduk Story, rehearsals and meetings preceding the original production, and scenes from the musical to bring in the brutality of the concentration camps and their impact on the North Korean people. The documentary is split into several sections, each concentrating on the experience of one of the former prisoners. Before their containment, they were elite performers, former bodyguards of Kim Jong II and even concentration camp prison guards. None of them were common criminals. Their crimes range from working illegally in order to feed their family to being related to someone who said the wrong thing. Fidyk emphasizes that up to three generations are imprisoned for the crime of one family member - and a common fear among the defectors is that their families are made to suffer even more because they escaped. The interviews these survivors provide are unrestrained and graphic. Kim Hyok recounts acts of cannibalism with chilling matter-of-factness, and An Myong Choz explains torture techniques to a group of actors with such nonchalance that it takes the panning of horrified faces around the room to remind you that torture is not normal. Kim Young Soon, who appears as a warm and stylish grandmother figure yet who, we learn, watched her eight-year-old child die at the Yodok concentration camp, may be the most piteous. She often breaks into tears - she cried tears of blood in the concentration camp, she says. But she later proves her strength and resilience in the lightness of her feet and the spirit of her smile as she gracefully choreographs dancers in rehearsal. Between sections, Fidyk narrates, filling in political contexts and additional details, which add flourishes to the already well-composed and thorough portrait of the concentration camps. The musical is often secondary to this, with minimal focus on the journey of the production (aside from noting the backlash and death threats received because of it), but Yoduk Story still aides as a cohesive backdrop for communicating the film's messages. The parts of the musical we do see - from rehearsals to polished stage performances - are effective in augmenting the stories that inspired them. The songs and choreography are done with the professionalism and talent of Broadway - with lighting and costume design to match. But this isn't South Pacific. There is definite reverence for the intricacy and artistry of North Korean theatrics, which is both awe-inspiring and phenomenally bittersweet. | 
