DIFF REVIEW: ‘The Red Chapel’

Late in his film, “The Red Chapel,” filmmaker Mads Brügger makes the assertion that the only freedoms the people of North Korea have are “to get drunk and smoke cigarettes” and he surely takes all of the steps to prove it.  The documentary tells the story of two Korean-born Danish immigrants, one of them handicapped or as he refers to himself “spastic,” and their manager, Brügger, who travel to North Korea to expose the injustices of fascism under the guise of putting on a vaudeville act for the North Korean people.  The vaudeville act is positioned to act as an sort of cultural exchange but it is quickly transformed into a way to spread propaganda by the North Korean theater director assigned to oversee it.  He changes the skit entirely so that the handicap of one of the performers is hidden and the audience won’t know that a handicapped person was allowed to act on a stage.  Our protagonists choose to comply with all of the demands placed upon them so they can gain more exclusive access to aspects of North Korean culture rarely talked about.  While the North Koreans think that they are tricking a naïve performance troop, in the end, they just end up tricking themselves.

“The Red Chapel” is an endlessly entertaining and well-executed documentary.  Our two main performers, Simon and Jacob, along with Mads stir up gut-busting laughs throughout their adventure that will surely keep any viewer amused.  However, it’s Jacob that really shines through.  His handicap makes the Danish he speaks nearly unintelligible so there is no way for any of the Koreans to understand what he says creating a sort of secret language between him and the viewer.  When Ms. Pak, the tour guide assigned to guide the troop through their stay, takes a liking to Jacob and starts treating him as if he was her own son he exclaims that he feels like “he’s being smothered” and “can’t breathe.” Little moments like this serve not just for humor but also to endear Jacob to the viewer.  Part of the reason he has such a prominent role in the documentary is to highlight the lack of handicapped people in Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.

Brügger’s filmmaking never falls prey to the pitfalls of a typical documentary.  His camera work is never dull or shoddy but usually frantic and fast-paced mirroring the way the viewer feels after being exposed to such confusing and overwhelming images.  Though Brügger does insert commentary and historical information wherever necessary he also lets the images speak for themselves to a large degree.  Seeing a massive group of school-aged children singing the praises of Kim Jong-Il really just speaks for itself.  In this way, Brügger, can also showcase the strangely inviting charms of the unity brought about by fascism thus keeping his documentary from appearing the same as the propaganda he is working against.  He himself even begins to question his ideas about North Korea though this aspect isn’t explored in any detail in the film.

Brügger’s “The Red Chapel” is a hilarious, thought-provoking, and masterfully crafted film that will leave any viewer unsure of whether to laugh or feel genuinely disturbed.