The Lovers and the Despot Movie Updates

Fri., Sep. 23, 2016

from Magnolia Pictures

• added Theatrical Trailer to trailers & videos
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• added a poster to the gallery
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• added the US VOD release date of September 23, 2016
• added a running time of 94 minutes
• added documentary as a genre
• added a synopsis

• They were the Brangelina of ’70s South Korea—the romance between the debonair film director Shin Sang-ok and glamorous actress Choi Eun-hee took them to the heights of South Korean society. Fame took a toll on their love, but it also attracted un... show all believable twists of fate. The two find themselves kidnapped by the North Korean regime, and they are forced to play along with a bizarre filmmaking project led by superfan cinephile Kim Jong-il. Enduring torture, imprisonment, and surveillance, their romance is rekindled, and they realize escape is only possible through filmmaking—but the smallest mistake in their plans could cost them their lives.
  
  This film noir of the most twisted order is meticulously crafted with an analog-loving sensibility, offering incredible archive footage of the era that even includes rare clandestine audio recordings of Jong-il discussing his plot for a cinematic paradise. The tapes deliver a chilling yet fascinating glimpse into the psychology of the North Korean dictatorship and what happens when art, love, and megalomania collide.

• added Ross Adam as director to credits
• added Robert Cannan as director to credits
• changed the production status to Completed
• added a link from magpictures.com
• added Magnolia Pictures as a distributor
• changed the US film release date from TBA to September 23, 2016
• set film release to Limited
• created the movie profile