The Image Formed

Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story

D: Chris Sheridan, Patty Kim

In 1977, 13-year-old Megumi Yokota was returning home from school in Niigata, Japan, when she seemingly vanished into thin air. While Megumi was initially thought to have run away or to have been the victim of a sexual predator, through her devastated parents' unending devotion to discovering her fate, it is revealed that she has been abducted by the North Korean government to help train their spies. At times it is hard to believe this film is a documentary and not fictional due to the Megumi's unbelievable saga. Her parents struggle with their own depression and their government as Japan slowly negotiates with North Korea on "the abduction issue," and they must endure decades of uncertainty before any information on their daughter or the others abducted is revealed. Executive Producer Jane Campion, and directors Sheridan and Kim do a wonderful job of telling this story through the eyes of Megumi's parents, eyes filled with loneliness and tears. – Mark Fagan

10/21, 5pm, Dobie; 10/25, 7pm, IMAX