Backwards post

Ok, so I'm still processing the photos from our thanksgiving celebration (which turned our great, by the way), so those will be online soon. My reason for a quick post is that tonight, Cliff and I attended a North Korean Film festival. Unsurprisingly, it was short yet interesting. We watch two movies: The Game of Our Lives and The Schoolgirls Diary. The first movie was released in 2002 is about the famed 1966 World Cup team from the North that advanced to the quarterfinals. The feature includes interviews with surviving members of the team, English fans and soccer pundits who saw the North Koreans upset Italy, 1-0, and go up 3-0 against Portgual before Eusebio eventually rallied the Portugeuse. The movie was quite good and gave some great non-soccer insights into North Korea.

There are only 8 surviving members of that storied team...
The second movie is really the reason we all showed up...The Schoolgirls Diary is one of only two films produced in 2006 in North Korea...It debuted at the 2006 Pyongyang Film Festival (which I'm sure was an industry standard bearer) and has been released in at the end of last year. It is the first film from North Korea to be picked up for international distribution in several decades. If you want to see a preview, click on the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDMr-y1w7sQ

The film was alittle 'white bread' and nothing really exciting, but given the cultural notes, I'd recommend it. It the most obvious commentary is based on what is not said in the film. The main character lives in a run down, chimney heated house that has faulty electric wiring. She lives with a mother (who spends every free hour devoted to translating articles for her absentee husband), a dedicated and kind grandmother, a soccer-star sister. All the ladies lives center around missing the husband/father, who has gone off to some scientific job and carries the hopes and pride of the entire family with him. He seems perpetually average at his job and therefore has left his family's desire for betterment and esteem, unfulfilled. But, the family's sacrifices are for the good of the great leader and the progress of the country, which is reward enough. A good commentary on the movie can be seen on the following site:

http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2008/01/09/the_schoolgirl_s_diary_provides_a_glimps

Overall, I really enjoyed the night. Its not every evening that I can enjoy some quality communist programming--oh, wait a second...nevermind, that's every night here. Regardless, the films have a pleasant, contrived quality about them that makes it more than just pure entertainment. Its all the subtleties and mindless adoration for the state that makes me want to cry and puke in my mouth all at the same time.