Sona, The Other Myself (2011)
Directed by Yang Yong-hi
Genres - Culture & Society |
Run Time - 82 min. |
Countries - Japan, Korea, South |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Mark Deming
Filmmaker Yang Yongh revisits the themes of her acclaimed film Dear Pyongyang in this documentary. Yongh was born and raised in Japan by parents who were originally from Korea and were passionate supporters of North Korea's Communist government. Dear Pyongyang told the story of Yongh's three older brothers, who were sent by their father to North Korea while in their teens to study and support the Communist state, with Yang the only sibling left behind. In Sona, The Other Myself, she focuses on Sona, the daughter of one of her expatriate brothers. Since fallout from Dear Pyongyang has prevented Yongh from returning to North Korea, Sona, The Other Myself features outtakes from the earlier film as well as home movies chronicling the daily life of Sona and footage of Yongh and her family in Japan, discussing the often difficult lives of their North Korean relations. These many perspectives combine to create a portrait of a girl growing into a young woman, surrounded by a caring family but also a culture that does not always nurture her. Sona, The Other Myself was an official selection at the 2010 Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival.