My Dictator

In a Korea still trembling from the fleeting hope of a 1972 joint declaration, the delicate dance of diplomacy takes an unexpected turn. The Korean Central Intelligence Agency, tasked with safeguarding a potential inter‑Korean summit, devises a covert rehearsal to ready President Park Chung‑hee for any scenario. To make the exercise believable, they seek an unknown actor capable of embodying the enigmatic North Korean leader, a daunting role that blurs the line between politics and performance.

​Sung‑geun is a down‑on‑his‑luck theater‑hand who haunts the peripheries of the stage, longing for a moment of real recognition. His son, ​Tae‑sik, watches his father with a mix of reverence and youthful idealism, believing him to be a great. When a mysterious audition leads ​Sung‑geun to the secretive corridors of the KCIA, he finds himself thrust into the impossible task of becoming ​Kim Il‑sung—a double meant to stand in for history’s most secretive figure. The casting feels like a once‑in‑a‑lifetime break, yet the pressure to honor his son’s admiration pushes him deeper into the role than anyone anticipated.

The film balances a tense, almost claustrophobic atmosphere with moments of dark humor, reflecting the absurdity of a nation rehearsing peace while its actors wrestle with identity. As the imagined summit unravels and is ultimately called off, ​Sung‑geun struggles to relinquish the persona he has inhabited so completely. The story lingers on the fragile boundary between art and reality, inviting viewers to wonder how far a performer will go when the applause they crave becomes indistinguishable from the character they portray.

Last Updated: September 26, 2025 at 04:33