Beyond Utopia

Name: Beyond Utopia
Genre: Biography, History, Documentary, News
Released: October 23, 2023
Duration: 115 min
Rating: 85
Cast: Barbara Demick, Douglas MacArthur, Hyeonseo Lee, Il-Sung Kim, Jong-il Kim

2023

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Universal acclaim based on 16 Critic Reviews

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Movie Details & Credits

| Release Date: October 23, 2023 | Not Rated

Starring: Barbara Demick, Douglas MacArthur, Hyeonseo Lee, Il-Sung Kim, Jong-il Kim, Jong-Nam Kim, Jong-Un Kim, So-yeon Lee, Sung-eun Kim

Movie Facts:

Winner of the U.S. Audience Award (Documentary) at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

Summary: A suspenseful, riveting portrait of the lengths people will go to gain freedom, Beyond Utopia follows various families as they attempt to flee North Korea, one of the most oppressive places on Earth, a land they grew up believing was a paradise. At the film’s core is a courageous pastor, a man of God on a mission to help a mother reuniteA suspenseful, riveting portrait of the lengths people will go to gain freedom, Beyond Utopia follows various families as they attempt to flee North Korea, one of the most oppressive places on Earth, a land they grew up believing was a paradise. At the film’s core is a courageous pastor, a man of God on a mission to help a mother reunite with the child she was forced to leave behind, and a family of five — including small children and an elderly grandmother — embarking on a treacherous journey into the hostile mountains of China. Leaving their homeland is fraught with unimaginable danger — yet these individuals are driven to take the risk. … Expand

Director: Madeleine Gavin

Genre(s): Biography, History, Documentary, News

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 115 min

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Critic Reviews

100

The Playlist Lena Wilson

Jan 27, 2023

This is a staggering achievement, the sort of nonfiction project that takes unfathomable guts and skill. Read full review

Chris Knight

Nov 2, 2023

Such tales never get stale, and the ones in Beyond Utopia are almost beyond belief. Read full review

Ben Kenigsberg

Nov 2, 2023

The engrossing, often tense proceedings are slightly marred by a pushy score. All the same, being able to experience the escape alongside these subjects greatly distinguishes this documentary. Read full review

James Berardinelli

Feb 10, 2025

A mixture of documentary and thriller, this is a compelling two-hour production. Read full review

The Guardian Peter Bradshaw

Oct 26, 2023

It’s an outstanding documentary. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Glenn Kenny

Nov 2, 2023

Directed by Madeleine Gavin, Beyond Utopia is a bracing and frequently jaw-dropping look at, first and foremost, the discontented people of North Korea who attempt defections doggedly. It’s a more difficult trip than you’d probably imagine. Read full review

Daniel Fienberg

Jan 27, 2023

An astonishing real-life geopolitical thriller with a very run-of-the-mill historical explainer grafted to it like a remora, Madeleine Gavin’s documentary Beyond Utopia is so packed with high-stakes tension and nail-biting set-pieces that it’s fairly easy, and probably even ideal, to ignore its clunky structuring and expositional choices. Read full review

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