Review:
In 2001, Guy Delisle was allowed into North Korea to work on an animated cartoon. He spent about two months there. This work is a travelogue of his experiences.
His hotel room was located in one of the three hotels meant for foreigners. Although he was only in North Korea for a couple months, he met several people who had been and would continue to be there for years. He was accompanied by a guide and/or translator almost everywhere he went, which included a few sightseeing and museum trips, although there were a few places (the restaurants, I think?) where only foreigners were allowed.
This is a weird work, with Delisle's everyday experiences (and one other animator's), interspersed with research about North Korea. Delisle would occasionally see things (a particularly popular spot, for example) that his guide and translator would pretend not to recognize, although he might later find out what he'd really seen from someone else (in that case, a shooting gallery with silhouettes of American and Japanese soldiers for pratice).
He eventually got into the rhythms of the place (diplomats at the hotel meant there would be melon at the restaurant), but it was easy to see why those who were there for years rather than months tended to come across as a bit odd.
One particular bit stuck in my head: the North Korean person who said he was skipping out on watching a movie because North Korean movies are boring, quite possibly the most negative thing Delisle heard any North Koreans say about their country while he was there. I couldn't help but wonder how long after that the guy lasted before he ended up being "disappeared" like the one talented North Korean animator Delisle was told about.
No comments:
Post a Comment