If you have plans to watch Beyond Utopia—a documentary film that peels back the layers on the secret life of defectors trying to escape North Korea’s totalitarian regime—prepare to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
The documentary, directed by Madeleine Gavin, takes viewers on the harrowing journeys of several North Korean defectors seeking freedom and reunification with family members who have already escaped the authoritarian regime. Viewers follow a family of five, the Ro family, traveling via car and through transportation hubs, dodging police, and climbing through jungles in the middle of the night, all in the name of seeking freedom from North Korea.
Pastor Sung-eun Kim, who has been working quietly for years on what he calls an “underground railroad” to help North Koreans plan their escapes, is featured heavily, as he charts their course on the escape voyage, shares tactics for staying hidden from police in China, and guides them to safe houses along the way. Kim relies on a network of brokers throughout China, Vietnam, Laos, and all the way to Thailand, including a broker who only goes by the name of “Mr. Hwang,” and in some cases, bribed police officers in China.
