“The Lovers and the Despot” is a movie about a fascinating story. It is a story of love, betrayal, hero worship, international politics and film making. Unfortunately, although the story may someday be told, it is not told in this movie.
Presumably, writer/directors Ross Adam and Robert Cannan did the best they could with the information they had. There are only three persons who could possibly put the story together. One is Kim Jong-il and the two are South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee and director Shin Sang-ok. Kim is talking to no one, unless it is about the schedule for his next missile launch. Director Shin has been dead for nearly a decade. That leaves actress Choi who is interviewed extensively in the movie. (CONTINUED)