In this astonishing, edge-of-the-seat chronicle, the camera follows audacious, high-risk quests to escape from North Korea, and the man who plans them, with a rare intimacy and emotional power. “When life hands you an opportunity to watch footage like this, you don’t turn it down. From an 80-year-old woman scaling a jungle-covered mountain in the dead of night while military dogs bark in the background to a mother tearing up as she shows her daughter fruits and flowers for the first time, Beyond Utopia is filled with the kind of 'holy shit how did they get this?' footage that the documentary medium exists to preserve. Films like Beyond Utopia are the same as people like Pastor Kim – their existence is a miracle, and we need to cherish every one we get.” – Christian Zilko, IndieWire