Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

A documentary that presents one of the most preposterous true-life scenarios ever connected with the movie business (or any business), Rob Cannan and Ross Adam’s The Lovers and The Despot also provides yet more evidence of North Korea’s bizarre sociopolitical culture and the oddity that was Kim Jong-il.

In 1978, Kim—then heir apparent to North Korea’s leadership and a major film buff—arranged for the kidnap of South Korean director Shin Sang-ok and his ex-wife, actress Choi Eun-hee. Kim was envious of South Korean cinema’s originality, unlike the stilted fare that was coming out of his artistically backwards nation, and he wanted the renowned couple to be his personal filmmakers. The Lovers and the Despot uses interviews, footage from Shin’s movies, propaganda film clips, and reenactments, underscored by Nathan Halpern’s dramatically ominous music, to show the couple’s plight and their eventual escape. The resulting documentary unfolds like an artsy international crime thriller, albeit one with a few plot holes. It’s a striking and effective approach, though just about any film covering this material would be fascinating for the story alone.

The Lovers and the Despot begins with a press conference given by Shin and Choi after their escape. It then travels back to the beginning of their relationship, as Choi recalls their initial meeting on the set of one of his films. (She provides much of the narrative; Shin died in 2006.) Scenes of the couple’s subsequent success as a top director and leading actress, respectively, are intercut with familiar, but no less jaw-dropping footage of the massive, intricately choreographed political rallies taking place in North Korea, along with the rise of Kim Jong-il in the shadow of his revered father, Kim Il-sung. Shin and Choi’s now-grown adopted children talk about their parents’ careers, including Shin’s obsession with filmmaking and his overspending on production. Eventually he would take up with a younger actress, after which he and Choi divorced.

Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Soon after, Choi disappears from her hotel in Hong Kong, where she has traveled to meet with prospective film producers. Later, while searching for her, Shin also vanishes. His career having been in decline, there are rumors that he defected to North Korea.

Though their abductions and captivity are traumatic—he is kept at a detention center for years—Kim treats them both with respect and good humor, as we hear in conversations that they somehow recorded (one wonders how they managed this). These tapes, once they reached the West, would be the first time that anyone in the U.S. heard the supreme leader’s voice, according to one State Department operative. Declaring their loyalty to North Korea, both Choi and Shin gain Kim’s trust and are allowed to attend film festivals in Russia and Europe, albeit under heavy guard. Eventually the couple, who have been held separately, are reunited.

Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Shin would make 17 films for Kim, including the first love story ever seen on North Korean screens; smiling photos of the couple with the despot appeared in South Korean newspapers, cementing the idea that they defected. Just as The Lovers and the Despot uses clips from Shin’s feature films to illustrate aspects of the couple’s life and ordeal, Shin relies on a wealth of famous movie scenes to plot their eventual getaway. This life-imitating-art motif is one of The Lovers’ most interesting—and sometimes, amusing—aspects. Though various fascinating facets of Choi and Shin’s story are unfortunately skimmed over, the film still packs a considerable punch.

A mix of crime thriller, love story and movie biz doc, The Lovers and the Despot is an amazing story that begs to be made into a feature narrative or even a mini-series. Too bad Shin isn’t around to do the honors.

The Lovers and the Despot opens on Friday, September 23, at Landmark Sunshine Cinemas and Lincoln Plaza Cinemas, and will also be available On Demand and through Amazon Video.

—Marina Zogbi