Summary"My father says that Korea is the most beautiful country... Korea is the land of the rising sun," says eight-year-old schoolgirl Zin-mi. Despite continuous interference by government handlers, director Vitaly Mansky still managed to document life in Pyongyang, North Korea in this fascinating portrait of one girl and her parents in the year as she... Read More
Directed By:Vitaliy Manskiy
Written By:Vitaliy Manskiy
Under the Sun
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
81
User score
Generally Favorable
6.6
My Score
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Metascore
Universal Acclaim
93% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
7% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jul 6, 2016
100
The movie raises disquieting questions, including a few that Mr. Mansky might not have meant to.
Jul 6, 2016
90
What’s more unexpected is just how much Russian documentary filmmaker Vitaly Mansky is able to reveal despite, and often because of, the stringent restrictions imposed upon him.
Jul 6, 2016
90
The vision of such severe regimentation is shocking; Zin-mi’s tears of shame and her sharply limited range of knowledge and inhibited behavior embody an outrage.
Jul 6, 2016
83
The truths revealed in this film have more to do with the North Korean government’s self-consciousness about how they’re perceived by foreigners. Here, they seem desperate to appear productive, congenial, devoted, and above all, happy.
Jul 7, 2016
75
Hollywood has been yukking it up over North Korea and its comical-looking leader for some years now. There’s nothing funny about either, and Mansky shows why.
Aug 4, 2016
63
In the end, it’s all about that little girl and how she responds to the lavish song-and-dance epic designed to praise Korea’s leader, the late Kim Jong-II. Under the Sun may seem slow and hollow at times, but her emotions appear to be quite spontaneous.
Jul 6, 2016
50
Under the Sun's overall aesthetic identifies a willingness to settle for an easy condemnation of an obviously abysmal regime, while not doing anything challenging or enlightening with all the outstanding footage collected.
User score
Generally Favorable
64% Positive
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
14% Mixed
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
23% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
Oct 7, 2016
8
Usually, it never contains a little surprise that Under the Sun is by far more than what you expected. You just have seen it differently, that's how. Watch this film again and your opinion will probably change. Under the Sun is filled of goodies that you must have already needed to enjoy this movie.
Production Company:
- Vertov Studio
- Saxonia Entertainment
- Hypermarket Film
- Ceská Televize
Release Date:Jul 6, 2016
Duration:1 h 46 m
Awards
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
Latvian National Film Festival
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
Hong Kong International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
