Beyond Utopia - Metacritic

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In Theaters Now

2023
PG-13
1 h 55 m

2023
PG-13
1 h 55 m

Summary A suspenseful, riveting portrait of the lengths people will go to gain freedom, Beyond Utopia follows various families as they attempt to flee North Korea, one of the most oppressive places on Earth, a land they grew up believing was a paradise. At the film’s core is a courageous pastor, a man of God on a mission to help a mother reunite...

Directed By: Madeleine Gavin

In Theaters Now

2023
PG-13
1 h 55 m

2023
PG-13
1 h 55 m

Beyond Utopia

Metascore Universal Acclaim Based on 15 Critic Reviews

84

User Score Available after 4 ratings

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Where to Watch

Summary A suspenseful, riveting portrait of the lengths people will go to gain freedom, Beyond Utopia follows various families as they attempt to flee North Korea, one of the most oppressive places on Earth, a land they grew up believing was a paradise. At the film’s core is a courageous pastor, a man of God on a mission to help a mother reunite...

Directed By: Madeleine Gavin

Where to Watch

Top Cast

Barbara Demick

Self

Il-Sung Kim

Self

Jong-Il Kim

Self

Jong-Nam Kim

Self

Jong-Un Kim

Self

Sung-eun Kim

Self

Hyeonseo Lee

Self

So-yeon Lee

Self

Douglas MacArthur

Self

View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Universal Acclaim Based on 15 Critic Reviews

100% Positive
15 Reviews

0% Mixed
0 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

Metascore

Universal Acclaim Based on 15 Critic Reviews

100% Positive
15 Reviews

0% Mixed
0 Reviews

0% Negative
0 Reviews

All Reviews
Positive Reviews
Mixed Reviews
Negative Reviews

Jan 27, 2023

This is a staggering achievement, the sort of nonfiction project that takes unfathomable guts and skill.

By Lena Wilson FULL REVIEW

Nov 2, 2023

Such tales never get stale, and the ones in Beyond Utopia are almost beyond belief.

Jan 27, 2023

What we’ve forgotten about, for too long, is the North Korean people. For years, their misery has existed under a blackout. Beyond Utopia looks behind the wall and shines a light.

By Owen Gleiberman FULL REVIEW

Jan 27, 2023

This is a film you haven’t seen before from a place you’ll never visit, a first-class example of bravery and reportage melding into an filmed testament. It’s not just that it’s nailbiting. The unease lingers long after viewing, though, for every person associated with it.

By Fionnuala Halligan FULL REVIEW

Oct 26, 2023

It’s an outstanding documentary.

By Peter Bradshaw FULL REVIEW

Oct 30, 2023

The searing images of various gulags, public executions, and private beatings will not be easily forgotten.

By Derek Smith FULL REVIEW

The Hollywood Reporter

Jan 27, 2023

An astonishing real-life geopolitical thriller with a very run-of-the-mill historical explainer grafted to it like a remora, Madeleine Gavin’s documentary Beyond Utopia is so packed with high-stakes tension and nail-biting set-pieces that it’s fairly easy, and probably even ideal, to ignore its clunky structuring and expositional choices.

By Dan Fienberg FULL REVIEW

See All 15 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Details

Production Company 19340 Productions, Human Rights Foundation, Random Good Foundation, The deNovo Initiative, Two Chairs Productions, XRM Media, iDeal Partners Film Fund

Release Date Oct 23, 2023

Duration 1 h 55 m

Rating PG-13

Genres

View All Details

Awards

Critics' Choice Documentary Awards

• 4 Nominations

Hamptons International Film Festival

• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations

Woodstock Film Festival

• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations

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