There is a very popular theory which is at the foundation of many crime stories and thrillers, which deals with the idea of the perfect crime. Even though criminology has experienced quite a few developments when it comes to solving a case, collecting and finding evidence as well as identifying clues, many crimes remain unsolved to this day. While the lack of such opportunities may be one part of the answer, especially regarding crimes of the past, there may also be a more complicated context which keeps the true culprit or motif nebulous. In his documentary “Assassins”, which premiered at Sundance Film festival 2020, US-American filmmaker Ryan White tells the story of such a crime, about the various institutions connected and how it may shed a light into the great black box which is the political mechanisms of North Korea.
Assassins is screening at Udine Far East Film Festival
The story starts with the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, half-brother to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in 2017. Shortly after the attack, two suspects, Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong, were arrested for the murder, as they had been filmed via CCTV, spraying the unsuspecting man with a toxic nerve agent. Their claims, they were under the impression of performing a prank for a viral video and thus did not know about the toxic contents of the spray cans, were not followed initially, until their lawyers started uncovering a more complicated plot, involving supposedly higher rank officers from North Korea. While the two young women were put on trial, Ryan White and his team documented the search for the truth, met with relatives, journalists and lawyers, and followed the development of the trial.
It should not come as a surprise to hear that White initially had trouble finding a distributor for his documentary, considering the influence of North Korea and the threat it poses for the international community. Through the interviews and thorough analysis of evidence, “Assassins” reconstructs the complex web of motifs, coincidences and relations of those involved, thus uncovering a far greater crime fueled by envy and resentment. While the first part of the documentary aims to complete this picture, the second axis shows how these conditions play a role in the court case, as, for example, the home countries of the two suspects, were pressured by North Korea to bring the trial to a swift conclusion.
At the same time, “Assassins” manages to be a story about the two women, as well as two brothers, Kim Jong-nam and Kim Jong-un, whose relationship has become increasingly estranged and later defined by jealousy and hate. Through the sheer amount of research that went into White's project, his viewer manages to get an insight into the power struggles of North Korea, and an example of how far its political leader would go to manifest his position within the state. Additionally, “Assassins” paints a rather disturbing image of the kind of reach this regime has beyond the North Korean borders, how it can exploit people and other countries for its purposes.
In the end, “Assassins” is a suspenseful and often quite shocking documentary about one of the most controversial crimes in recent history. Due to his great amount of research, the use of archival footage and various sources, director Ryan White manages to show the broader narrative behind the assassination and a political regime who seems no qualms about manipulating (and sacrificing) others for its purposes.
