| The Lovers and the Despot | |
| Director: | Robert Cannan Ross Adam |
| Starring: | Choi Eun-hee Shin Sang-ok Kim Jong-il |
| Narrator: | Choi Eun-hee |
| Music: | Nathan Halpern |
| Editing: | Jim Hession |
| Distributor: | Soda Pictures Magnolia Pictures |
| Runtime: | 95 minutes |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English Korean Japanese |
The Lovers and the Despot is a 2016 British documentary film written and directed by Robert Cannan and Ross Adam, about the 1978 abduction of South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee, and film director Shin Sang-ok, by Kim Jong-il of North Korea. It was pitched at Sheffield Doc/Fest's 2014 MeetMarket.
The Lovers and the Despot has received positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 77%, based on 57 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The site's consensus states: "The Lovers and the Despot offers a compelling—albeit by no means comprehensive—look at one of the more bizarrely stranger-than-fiction episodes in cinematic history."[1] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 65 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[2]
Writing for The New York Times, Manohla Dargis stated that "Despite its flaws and will to kitsch, The Lovers and the Despot has enough enigmas and chills to merit a look, even if some of its spookier moments involve cinephilia rather than the usual weapons of mass destruction."[3]
In Jordan Hoffman's review for The Guardian, he wrote that "there’s an incredible story somewhere in this tale [...], but this documentary buries it by way of over-measured effects and chronic pussy-footing."[4] In a review for RogerEbert.com, Matt Zoller Seitz called it a "frustrating missed opportunity", saying it "takes a fascinating story about filmmaking, politics, kidnapping and propaganda and gives us almost no insight into the work of its two main characters."[5]
As of 3 November 2016, the film has grossed $55,511 at the box office.[6]