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I'm pretty sure they are not brainwashed that much. There are people who are like those young actors. But that engineer (father of actress) understands situatio

by daliusd 16y ago

I'm pretty sure they are not brainwashed that much. There are people who are like those young actors. But that engineer (father of actress) understands situation better: there is reason why he does not want his daughter to be actress. Actually looks at reaction of parents when actress told the story how she became actress. They are trying to hide their eyes like they could betray them. This video alone is enough to understand what price she might pay sometime.

stcredzero 16y ago
Such attitudes may predate the communists. Even in my mother's generation, entertainers carried a stigma with them. Much like in ancient times in the West, entertainers of many kinds were considered the lowest of the low. My mother was born to parents who were living in what is now North Korea. My grandfather was a doctor and a successful entrepreneur. Needless to say, the communists didn't have a very sunny view of him, and the family had to be quickly moved south. Both my mother and my father had some inclinations towards the performing arts and were actively discouraged from this. In the case of females, yes, a fear of "dishonor" was involved. Since many men of power in the North Korean regime are effectively above the law, such fear is perhaps not unwarranted. (Is it really much different than our society?)
davidchua 16y ago
I thought this video was excellent because of just that. The subjects' reactions and the little nuances tell so much. I find it fascinating that the NKorean censors gave so much freedom to the film crew and the students, to showcase their life. For example, I thought it was really cute to see the male and female protaganist quite close to one another. Could they be dating? Or is it all just acting? The varied emotions seen in this documentary is a refreshing break from all the straight-face, cautious, camera-shy interviewees from the other films by foreign crews in NKorea.

by daliusd 16y ago

stcredzero 16y ago

Such attitudes may predate the communists. Even in my mother's generation, entertainers carried a stigma with them. Much like in ancient times in the West, entertainers of many kinds were considered the lowest of the low. My mother was born to parents who were living in what is now North Korea. My grandfather was a doctor and a successful entrepreneur. Needless to say, the communists didn't have a very sunny view of him, and the family had to be quickly moved south. Both my mother and my father had some inclinations towards the performing arts and were actively discouraged from this. In the case of females, yes, a fear of "dishonor" was involved. Since many men of power in the North Korean regime are effectively above the law, such fear is perhaps not unwarranted. (Is it really much different than our society?)

davidchua 16y ago

I thought this video was excellent because of just that. The subjects' reactions and the little nuances tell so much. I find it fascinating that the NKorean censors gave so much freedom to the film crew and the students, to showcase their life. For example, I thought it was really cute to see the male and female protaganist quite close to one another. Could they be dating? Or is it all just acting? The varied emotions seen in this documentary is a refreshing break from all the straight-face, cautious, camera-shy interviewees from the other films by foreign crews in NKorea.