Vitaly Mansky didn’t go to North Korea to make a movie about a lie. Well, maybe he did, but he definitely didn't expect the North Korean government to help him film the lie while it was happening. If you haven't seen the Under the Sun film, you’re missing out on one of the most bizarre, uncomfortable, and frankly genius pieces of filmmaking from the last decade. It’s a documentary, but not in the way we usually think of them.
Usually, a director goes in, shoots some footage, and tries to capture "the truth." Mansky realized early on that the truth was off-limits. The North Korean minders gave him a script. They chose the locations. They even chose the family. So, Mansky did something brilliant: he kept the cameras rolling between takes.
The Scripted Reality of Zin-mi
The movie follows an eight-year-old girl named Zin-mi. She’s preparing to join the Children’s Union on the Day of the Shining Star (Kim Jong-il’s birthday). On the surface, it’s a standard propaganda piece. Zin-mi lives in a beautiful apartment. Her parents have great jobs. They eat delicious meals.
But it’s all fake.
In the Under the Sun film, we see the handlers—the "minders" from the state—literally standing off-camera telling the family how to sit. They tell them when to laugh. They tell the father, who is supposedly an engineer at a garment factory, to act more "joyous" about his production quotas. In reality, he’s probably not even an engineer at that factory. The "home" they live in is likely a set.
It’s meta-commentary at its most brutal. You’re watching a documentary about the making of a propaganda film, and the result is more honest than anything the North Korean government ever intended. Honestly, it’s kind of heartbreaking to watch Zin-mi try to keep up with the demands. She’s just a kid. She’s tired. She’s being forced to perform "happiness" for a regime that doesn't care about her.
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How Mansky Smuggled the Footage Out
You might be wondering how the hell this movie even exists. North Korea isn't exactly known for letting people leave with "unapproved" digital files.
Mansky and his crew were clever. They used cameras with two memory card slots. They would show the North Korean censors the "official" footage on one card, which the censors would then approve or delete. Meanwhile, the real footage—the stuff where the handlers are yelling at the family to be more patriotic—was being recorded onto the second card.
They hid these cards on their bodies when they left the country.
It’s risky. Like, "prison camp" risky. But because of that bravery, we get to see the sheer exhaustion on the faces of the people in Pyongyang. There’s a specific scene where Zin-mi is in a dance class. She’s struggling. She’s crying. And the teacher just keeps pushing. It’s a tiny, quiet moment of human suffering that tells you more about the country than any news report ever could.
The Psychology of the "Perfect" Life
Why does North Korea care so much about this specific image? It’s about total control. If they can control the narrative of a child’s life, they control the future.
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The Under the Sun film exposes the "theatre of the state." In the West, we have reality TV, which we know is mostly fake. But in North Korea, the "reality" is the only thing you’re allowed to acknowledge. If you break character, you’re not just a bad actor; you’re a traitor.
There’s a scene involving a dinner table where the family is talking about the health benefits of kimchi. It sounds like a commercial. The minders make them repeat the lines over and over until they sound "natural." But they never do. They sound like robots. It’s an uncanny valley of human emotion.
Why This Movie Still Matters Today
A lot of people think they "get" North Korea because they’ve seen memes of Kim Jong-un or watched The Interview. But the Under the Sun film strips away the comedy. It’s not funny. It’s oppressive.
It shows the mundane nature of totalitarianism. It’s not always big parades and nukes. Sometimes it’s just a little girl being told she didn't praise the Great Leader with enough "sincerity" in her voice.
One of the most chilling parts of the film is the ending. Zin-mi is asked to recite a poem or a song about the Great Leader. She starts to cry because she’s so stressed. The interviewer asks her to think of something happy so she can stop crying.
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She can’t.
She literally cannot think of a single happy thing that isn't related to the state. Eventually, she just starts reciting a propaganda poem because that’s the only "happy" script she has in her head. It’s one of the most devastating things I’ve ever seen on screen.
Practical Insights for Viewers
If you’re going to watch this—and you should—keep a few things in mind:
- Watch the backgrounds. The most interesting stuff in the Under the Sun film happens in the corners of the frame. Look at the people walking in the streets or the way the minders interact with each other when they think the camera is off.
- Contrast it with "The Propaganda Game." Another documentary by Alvaro Longoria covers similar ground but with a different level of access. Comparing the two gives you a much wider view of how the regime manages its image.
- Don't look for a plot. This isn't a Hollywood movie. It’s a slow burn. The tension comes from the silence and the repetition.
- Research Vitaly Mansky. Understanding his background as a Russian filmmaker gives context to why he was so sensitive to state-sponsored lies. He grew up in the Soviet Union; he knows what a "staged" life looks like.
The Under the Sun film serves as a vital historical document. It captures a moment in time where the cracks in the facade were finally caught on tape. It reminds us that behind every terrifying regime are real people, like Zin-mi, who are just trying to survive the script they’ve been handed.
To truly understand the impact of the film, look for the director's cut or the versions that include the extended "behind-the-scenes" takes. These sequences provide the necessary context to distinguish between the North Korean government's intended message and the reality of the filming process. Pay close attention to the sound design; often, the instructions shouted from off-camera are just as telling as the visual performance on screen.
Finally, consider the ethical implications of the film's release. Mansky has faced criticism for potentially putting Zin-mi and her family in danger by showing their "failure" to perform. It's a complex, muddy situation with no easy answers, which is exactly why the film remains a cornerstone of modern documentary study.