Crossing the Line [DVD] [2007] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Technically brilliant, considering the subject -- fast-paced camera, excellent cuts, thoughtful shot angles.

Mr.Dresnok, living in Pyongyang since 1962, does the narrative himself. He comes across as a convivial, honest, lying, brutal character, you name it, and saddened beyond repair. "You do not like fishing?", a North Korean sitting next to him at the river remarks casually, causing Mr.Dresnok to ever so slightly draw a hasty cigarette drag.

There it is, the truth of a squandered life in an alien country. The Korean angler sensed it.

There is a certain twisted authenticity to him, a bullyish bonhomy that makes him look almost great to have a beer with at a sports bar at one moment, and look sadistic without further advance notice the next, with nothing but just seconds to spare inbetween.

The famous defector foe/friend (it's hard to tell at times) Robert Jenkins, now relocated to Japan, gets an earful from Mr.Dresnok for having spilled some truths. At that moment, Mr.Dresnok's outrage is a staged emotion, given the Party cadre sitting next to him. The documentary seems to not be entirely fair and balanced on this particular subject, although it serves as an interesting "audio et altera pars" to Mr.Jenkins' autobiography.

Mr.Dresnok, though, knows what his former rocky yet close relationship to the re-defected defector Jenkins calls for: some harsh words, that come across as totally insincere. In the end, this unhappy man is a simple soul who turned himself in for life at a moment's whim.

He genuinely loves his likeable grown-up son who has "Richmond, VA Caucasian college student" written all over his face, yet does barely speak English with a pronounced Korean accent and is going to be, of all choices, a North Korean diplomat.

Mr.Dresnok would also love to see his native Virginia one more time. He probably won't. He chokes up when the British filmmaker presents him with contemporary images of his childhood town, and lets him watch a Quicktime movie on an Apple notebook of former friends talking about him. Apart from his love for his family, that is the only genuine deep emotion Mr.Dresnok allows himself to show.

An excellent documentary about the strangest of fates young men can visit upon themselves.

I saw this documentary at a local video store and I am glad I rented it. James Dresnok (spelling?) had a less than stellar life growing up. Neglected as a child and never finding his way to the "American Dream" he ended up in the Army on the DMZ. A documentary crew was allowed to go to North Korea to interview Mr. Dresnok who has spent his life since 1962 in that Stalinist state. It's an interesting documentary as it also points out that three other soldiers defected to North Korea around the same time. Dresnok is an interesting interview and his "escape" across the minefields, his interrogation by North Korean leaders and his "fame" as a "movie star" in North Korea portraying the U.S. as the Imperalist Evil General in their movies was fascinating to say the least.

Dresnok is a likable person at times and at other times I sat and wondered just how sad he really is in his life. Still, he seems content and he paints an interesting portrayal of life as a man, a husband and a father to his children in North Korea. When the documentary was over I learned a little bit about North Korea and about an American who found his "peace" in that Stalinist regime.

At the outset, "Crossing the Line" seems as if it's going to be one of those conventional narratvies that details the reason behind PFC James Dresnok's odd choice of defecting to the DPRK in 1962. We're presented with the standard biographical summary, complete with subdued music, old photographs, and snippets of memories that's been a staple of documentaries since Ken Burns' Civil War.

However, it becomes clear after about 15 minutes that this isn't your run-of-the-mill "Time" Magazine type of story. Instead, "Crossing the Link" quickly becomes less a documentary about why Dresnok decided to walks across the DMZ into North Korea (thus "crossing the line"), and more a voyeuristic examination on the psychology of alienation and the degree to which people can delude themselves in their search for belonging.

Dresnok's story is an almost perfect recipe on how to psychologically screw up a child so that he remains wounded well into adulthood. His childhood and post-adolescence are an almost non-stop series of devastating abandonment and betrayal from everyone important in his development: parents, relatives, and his first wife. This sort of damage is some heavy dope for a child, so it's no wonder that several times in the film Dresnok stated that his main goal in life was to "run away."

It also explains why his defection to the DPRK - something that was an act of opportunity - ended up being such a good fit for him. It's really no surprise. In North Korea Dresnok finally found the perfect family: one that would not abandon him so long as he never abandons it. And, this desire of belonging and craving a simple life in which permanence and security are guaranteed is repeated consistently throughout the movie.

After the defection, Dresnok joined the other three US servicement who "crossed the line" as prized tools for the North Korean propaganda machine, and there isn't much to refute the idea that he's still serving that function. After all, it's hard to believe the North Koreans would allow American film-makers to interview someone who would be critical of them. And Dresnok plays his role well.

However, even though Dresnok justifies and defends the DPRK throughout the movie (he never hints at any regrets or misgivings about his choice; he dismisses any ideas of North Korean misdeeds; and forcefully questions the criticisms leveled on his adopted land by one of his fellow defectors, Sgt. Jennings), one never really gets the feeling that he is a true believer.

And, considering Dresnok's psyche, that makes perfect sense. There is nothing about him, his reminiscences, or his background that would indicate Dresnok is either politically savvy or active. In fact, Dresnok's behavior, values, and priorities all point to a man who was simply looking for someone or somewhere he could go and be a part of something solid and permanent. Dresnok seems to be less involved in rationalizing North Korea's repressive dictatorship from a philosophical point of view, and more a child who defends their parent: "Yeah, daddy may spank me sometimes, but it was because I was bad."

Ultimately, though, one comes away with a sense of melancholy regarding Dresnok. It's hard to dislike the guy. He's affable, humble, and is a dedicated father. But his willingness to ignore the realities of life in the DPRK makes it difficult to really sympathize with him. At some point he had to make a conscious effort to block out the reality of his daily experience and to ignore the common sense that contradicts the wild propaganda spewed from the official channels of the North Korean government. But, like a toddler desperately wanting to gain his father's approval, Dresnok is an accomplice in the tawdry game. Perhaps the most poignant moment was, when emotionally discussing his oldest son's future, he rhetorically asked whether it could ever be possible for the son of a common worker to attend a University in the United States. It was a stark display of willful ignorance and irony, particularly when coming from someone living in a nation where freedom and societal position are so rigidly maintained. And it exposed just how far someone will go to achieve their desire to belong.