Rowan Sullivan

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The Propaganda Game (North Korea) – What do you Know about North Korea?

The Propaganda Game Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

How dangerous do you think North Korea is to the world? Secondly, do you think you are an open minded person? The Propaganda Game exposes life in Korea and the propaganda we and North Koreans see every day. Is one side right? Can we find the truth? Read on.

Image result for the propaganda game

Why Watch The Propaganda Game?
  • To learn about North Korea
  • See how powerful propaganda can be (in this case it shows the propaganda we see that shapes our view of North Korea, and also the propaganda the citizens of North Korea see)
  • It will open your mind as you think about Cultural Relativism: the theory that beliefs, customs, and morality exist in relation to the particular culture from which they originate and are not absolute
  • It’s on Netflix
The Breakdown

The Propaganda Game starts with shots of what appears to be life in a typical Asian city. There are people meditating in parks, kids roller skating over ramps, and everything looks like it comes from a tourist brochure.

The shots are of course of life in North Korea. For a nice juxtaposition, the director layers western news reporters reports of life in North Korea over the top. It is clear that something is wrong as the pictures of North Korea obviously do not match up to the propaganda pushed by western media.

This is what film maker Alvaro Longoria explores in this film: propaganda. He points out that there are two players in the propaganda game, the North Korean government, and western media. Both are perpetrating myths and both myths are pretty much opposite. I’ve set out both myths below:

  1. The western media perpetrate a myth that North Korea is a rogue state which poses a nuclear threat to the world and subjugates all of it’s citizens against their will.
  2. North Korea perpetrates a myth that the west (in particular the U.S.) are the fault of all the problems in the country and that the whole world idolises their leaders and look towards North Korea as a beacon of the revolution.

Though the amazing shots and interviews we get in North Korea we can make our own judgements.

Conclusion

The most important message of this film is that we should always keep an open mind. Blindly accepting a point of view we see in the news can hide the truth. This goes for both the people in North Korea and the anyone who follows western media. We are all subject to propaganda, so we must always remain vigilant in trying to find see all sides of the agenda. In this case, there is no truth. Check out the trailer below.

382

All the Cities of the North (Bosnia) Life in an Abandoned Resort

All the Cities of the North Film Difficulty Ranking: 5

If you want to take a step into the world of slow film, I recommend reading our introduction here first. If you’re already a veteran of slow film, or are looking to tick off Bosnia from your film map All the Cities of the North may be for you. Let me know what you find!

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Why Watch All the Cities of the North?
  • To see a film from Bosnia (a first for FilmRoot)
  • If you’ve seen a few of the Slow Films on FilmRoot and want to see more!
  • You’re not after a fast-paced thriller, but a reflective film where the most exciting moment is when a guy blows into a bottle
  • For something to meditate to
The Breakdown

This film opens with a still shot of a man sleeping in a tent. Slowly he starts to move and you see a compilation of shots showing him: sharpening a stick, eating berries off of a tree, and washing the tent. It’s not thrilling stuff, this is the world of slow film.

As per a typical slow film, there’s little dialogue and a lot of long shots in which nothing much happens. In this case, there is no dialogue, the talking you hear is a couple of contemplative narratives.

The film takes place at an abandoned holiday resort in the former Yugoslavia. Two men camp and live together on the resort and what we see is the mundane things they do there, from berry picking to washing.

The only break from the script comes in a few shots of one of the weird complexes that Yugoslavia built in Lagos. The complex in Lagos also now in disrepair, but like the Yugoslav complex, local people have started living here. Whether this is symbolic of the fall of communism or renewal is never clear.

Conclusion

If you’re interested in learning about slow film, I recommend starting with our introduction to slow film. If you’re already a veteran then you may find something in this film that I missed. Perhaps it was because I wasn’t able to watch this film in a whole sitting that I didn’t find as much in it as A Mysterious Object at Noon or From What is Before. If you find something interesting, please comment below!

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10 Must See World Films on Amazon Prime UK

Watch the World with Amazon Prime UK – 10 Must See World Films Available for Free!

All of the following World Films are available to watch with an Amazon Prime UK membership. If you don’t have a membership you can always make the most of the free trial and watch as many of the films below before the trial runs out 😉 Just click here to sign up for a free trial!

10. Motorcycle Diaries (South America)

If you haven’t seen Motorcycle Diaries you’re in for a treat. It’s one of the best road trip movies out there and perfect to watch if you want to go to South America. Plus, it’s got the legendary revolutionary Che Guevara. Night in sorted!

9. Train to Busan (South Korea)

Hot off of the press, Train to Busan is one of Amazon Prime UK’s most recent additions. If you like zombies you’ll love this film. If you’re not bothered about zombies but love a great action movie, you’ll also love this film. It’s a win-win.

8. The Salesman (Iran)

Also recently added, Iranian film The Salesman won the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Film at last year’s Oscars. If you missed the free viewing that the Mayor of London held in Trafalgar Square, no worries, as you can now watch it for free on Amazon Prime (with the free trial).

7. Son of Saul (Hungary)

You can also watch another Oscar winner. This one follows a Jewish worker in the Auschwitz prison camps during WW2. It’s harrowing, but brilliantly well made. Read more about it here.

6. The Assassin (Taiwan)

There’s also plenty of Cannes Film Festival winners available to watch. Hou Hsiao-hsie won the best director prize for this beauty, a martial arts film set in 9th century China. Films don’t get much prettier than this.

5. Cell 211 (Spain)

For a bit more grit, check out this prison drama. A new prison officer gets trapped on the wrong side of the prison bars during a prison riot. Can he play the part of a prisoner for long enough to escape? This one is perfect for an easy night in.

4. Dheepan (France)

Here’s another Cannes winner. Dheepan took the famed Palmes D’or at the 2015 Cannes film festival and tells the story of three Tamil refugees who flee the war ravaged Sri-Lanka for a new life in Paris.

3. Mustang (Turkey)

If you love coming-of-age films as much as I do you will love this film. It has all the qualities of a classic family film but with a bit more grit. A nominee at Cannes and the Academy Awards go watch this one now. Feel free to read more about the film here.

2. Toni Erdmann (Germany)

Toni Erdmann is one of the world’s great comedies. It will teach you never to lose your sense of humour or take life too seriously. Watch it for plenty of surprises that you never saw coming! It also features the world’s most embarrassing dad.

1. Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia)

This is perhaps the best film available to watch on Amazon Prime UK full stop. It’s a beautifully shot film set deep in the Amazon jungle that delves into the biggest themes including (but not limited to) Life and Death, Civilization, and Religion. You will come out of it a wiser person 😉

Where to Watch these films?

Well this is just a taster of some of the best world films on Amazon Prime UK. There are many more world films available on the platform, so go ahead and start your free trial by clicking on the banner below. (Remember to cancel it if you don’t want to be charged after the free trial).

We will be back with the best world films on Netflix UK in the next few weeks.

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What Did You Do In The War Thanasi? (Greece)

What Did You Do In The War Thanasi? Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Time for a Greek comedy! What Did You Do in the War Thanasi is all about the extremely energetic and slapstick Thanasi. As much as he tries not to, you just know that trouble is going to end up finding him. For a fun and easy night in, watch this film with a free trial on Amazon Prime Video.

Image result for what did you do in the war thanasi

 Why Watch this Film?
  • For something light and funny (something we need more of on FilmRoot)
  • It’s our first Greek film set in Greece (see The Lobster for more Greek films)
  • If you liked Life is Beautiful or Closely Watched Trains and want to see another WW2 comedy
  • Experience some Greek humour (the main character is extremely energetic and melodramatic)
The Breakdown

It’s WW2 and the Nazis and Italians have occupied Greece. A bunch of the locals are queuing up for some rations; a big bowl of gruel. Back at home a family is listening to the forbidden BBC radio news trying to give the Greeks hope that the occupation will end.

From what you can see, the occupation looks brutal. Locals are scavenging for any food on the streets and people are starving (like the people in Germany as you’ll see in Little Dieter Needs to Fly). In addition, the German and Italian military occupation is obvious. Guards are watch the streets from watch towers whilst soldiers chase and shoot Greek rebels.

Thanasi, our protagonist, is our comic hero. He tries to avoid all association with the Greek resistance for fear of being caught by the Nazis. Typically, as this is a comedy, he always ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time (kind of like Forrest Gump’s knack for ending up in famous historical moments).

Conclusion

What Did You Do in the War Thanasi is one of the best war comedies I have seen. It is driven by Thanasi’s constant high energy and melodrama (a bit like Guido in Life is Beatiful). Well worth a watch if you are looking for a good Greek film or a nice comedy.

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Mardan (Iraq) – A Sombre Film Set in Kurdish Iraq

Mardan Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

Most of you know that Iraq has had one of the most traumatic modern histories. But when you think of why, you’d probably think of the Iraq War. So when I tell you this is a sombre Iraqi film you’d also probably think that it is about the Iraq War. But you’d be wrong. Unlike Ahlaam, Mardan is set in Kurdish Iraq, and follows the traumatic life of a border patrol guard.

Why Watch Mardan?
  • To see a Kurdish Iraqi film (for an Arabic Iraqi film, check out Ahlaam)
  • If you are up for a solemn (but well made) movie
  • To see the beautiful and wild mountain scenery of Iraq
  • For another story with a traumatic childhood (which reminded me of the Kosovan short film Shok)
The Breakdown

Mardan starts with an extreme close up of half a man’s face. The camera is focused on one of the man’s watery eyes. He is crying.

A traumatic flashback to his childhood shows us why he is crying. It should be an innocent memory of him and his brother playing by the river. But some military men raped and killed his brother, giving him a burden he has had to carry for his whole life.

Surprisingly, the introduction is the only place where the military is shown, apart from the border patrol. Instead, the film focuses on Mardan and how he deals with his harrowing childhood memory. He doesn’t seem like the nicest guy – he accepts bribes and appears pretty grumpy, but the film implies that his background is to blame for this.

His only shot at redemption is by helping a family find their relative. But don’t expect a Hollywood ending. This film is more about the journey and character development than any climactic ending.

Conclusion

Mardan is not the film you want to watch after a long day at work. It is solemn and does not offer any respite. It is a well made film, but you’d only want to watch it if you want to see a bit of life in Kurdish Iraq, some Iraqi scenery, or if you are into sombre films.