X
  • 2023
  • PG-13
  • Fathom Events
  • 1 h 55 m
  • 2023
  • PG-13
  • Fathom Events
  • 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

  • 2023
  • PG-13
  • Fathom Events
  • 1 h 55 m
  • 2023
  • PG-13
  • Fathom Events
  • 1 h 55 m

Beyond Utopia

Metascore Universal Acclaim Based on 15 Critic Reviews
must-see
84
User Score Universal Acclaim
9.3
My Score
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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

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 15 Critic Reviews
84
100% Positive
15 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Universal Acclaim Based on 15 Critic Reviews
84
100% Positive
15 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
Jan 27, 2023
This is a staggering achievement, the sort of nonfiction project that takes unfathomable guts and skill.
By Lena Wilson FULL REVIEW
91
Nov 2, 2023
Such tales never get stale, and the ones in Beyond Utopia are almost beyond belief.
FULL REVIEW
90
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
90
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
80
Oct 26, 2023
It’s an outstanding documentary.
By Peter Bradshaw FULL REVIEW
75
Oct 30, 2023
The searing images of various gulags, public executions, and private beatings will not be easily forgotten.
By Derek Smith FULL REVIEW
70
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 Daniel Fienberg FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

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User Score
Universal Acclaim Based on 4 User Ratings
9.3
100% Positive
4 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings

User Reviews

 View All
User Score
Universal Acclaim Based on 4 User Ratings
9.3
100% Positive
4 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

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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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