Occasionally a story presents itself that, fortunately for the documentary filmmaker, is so compelling that it need only be displayed with some narrative coherence to create an enthralling piece of cinema. This is the case for Marc Wiese in his cinema debut, CAMP 14: TOTAL CONTROL ZONE, which centres on the story of Shin Dong-Hyuk, a man born and raised in a North Korean work camp. His life of violent oppression ended with a rare escape from the camp and the film is built around him reliving his experiences.
Although compelling, Wiese cannot claim much filmmaking ingenuity. An extensive amount of screen time is devoted to shots of Shin sitting in a stairwell, to the point where they lose any elegant poignancy in favour of a sense that Wiese is filling out his film’s visuals. The use of animation is eloquent, if a little simplistic, but annoyingly underused. The short animated sequences illustrate Shin’s stories with a harrowing grace, and they mark the film at its most effective. Besides these rare moments of originality
the filmmaking certainly redefines the term minimalist.
The most tragic part of this documentary […] is the melancholy with which Shin discusses his new life.
Although the filmmaking warrants criticism, the film itself makes for an incredibly emotive, powerful piece of cinema. The difficulty Shin has discussing his past makes for poignant viewing, the quiet understatement with which he lives his life evidence of the irrevocable scars, both physical and psychological, from his cruel upbringing. His distressing tales are effectively juxtaposed with similar stories from ex-guards, who speak with a disturbing nonchalance on topics of torture and the brutality of prisoner life. The most tragic part of this documentary, however, is the melancholy with which Shin discusses his new life. He frequently refers to the work camp as his ‘home’, and seems to almost lament his decision to leave. Although it is with great difficulty that he discusses his former life, it is also with a tone of sadness at the loss of his innocence, the “purity” of his heart.
In a society obsessed with Nazi Germany, CAMP 14: TOTAL CONTROL ZONE is an emotional reminder that the same level of horror is still present in the world today, and the subject should not be further neglected.
CAMP 14: TOTAL CONTROL ZONE screens again on Sunday 16th September at 1pm. Buy tickets here.