This week, those who follow celebrity news are watching one of Hollywood’s big romances fall apart with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie filing for divorce. Romance among moviemakers has been as old as the medium itself, but in the upcoming documentary “The Lovers And The Despot,” one tale of starry love takes a strange twist that changes the lives of both involved forever. And it’s something that can’t easily be summarized in a salty tabloid headline.
Directed by Ross Adam and Robert Cannan, the fascinating film tells the story of director Shin Sang-ok and actress Choi Eun-hee, a couple who were the stars of ’70s South Korean cinema, who were kidnapped by the North Korean regime and forced to play along with a bizarre filmmaking project led by superfan cinephile Kim Jong-il. Enduring torture, imprisonment, and surveillance, their romance is rekindled, and they realize escape is only possible through filmmaking — but the smallest mistake in their plans could cost them their lives. And in this exclusive clip, Choi Eun-hee reveals how she first met Shin Shang-ok.
“The Lovers And The Despot” opens in theaters and On Demand on September 23rd. Check out the clip below.