Despite the forwardness of the North Korean government, many people refused to be deterred from seeing the controversial film "The Interview" starring Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg whose characters plot to assassinate Korean dictator Kim Jong Un on Christmas Day. The cyber attack and hacking of Sony did in fact prevent some cinemas from premiering the movie since there were also threats of terrorist attacks in movie theaters. In the D.C. area of Virginia, the Manassas 4 Cinema became increasingly more crowded as people there for the first showing left the building showing a great amount of enthusiasm. Bunny Khorana, owner of the movie house, was thrilled by the unexpected turnout and even claimed "It's great that the big boys aren't showing it. I'm going to cash in." He, unlike many others around the country, was not phased by the threats of the North Korean government. Many viewers of the R-rated comedy showed up with defiant attitudes towards the dictatorship across the world. Many acknowledged the freedom of speech and the ability to say what one wants. Others saw the movie purely on the quest for entertainment. People who had not yet witnessed the realities of what is happening in North Korea even learned something about the gruesome truths.
I understand what infuriated the North Korean government. Kim Jong Un was portrayed as a buffoonish character, humiliating in the least. While the movie was created based off of comedy and light heartedness, it was clearly also meant to poke fun. I have yet to see it, but I have heard some impressive views. However, the depictions of starved people in North Korea are all too real. The conflict and struggles people have to face due to the abusive dictatorship should not be portrayed as comical. I can understand how that is a matter of controversy since the fictional movie does depict the entire situation as differentiable from reality. That can be the power of cinema and it can be very negative in some ways.
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