By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.2 cats
Director: Jeremy Workman
Year: 2026
Running time: 92
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33499857
Brett says: “SCHOOL FOR DEFECTORS is an insightful look into a single school in particular that is one of multiple schools in South Korea set up for transitioning children who have defected from North Korea. The result is a collection of stories, experiences, and present-day journeys that are all heart-wrenching in their own ways. The documentary is a look into the interview process prior to selections to the school, everyday life at the school, and personal looks into the worlds of the students who attend.
“One remarkable accomplishment of the film is how they managed to avoid documentaries’ tendencies to hone in on just a handful of representatives of an institution as a whole, and instead, there are around twenty points of focus. The achievement is that the film still manages to connect audiences to each of the students, despite how daunting or messy it may seem on paper to attempt to pull off such a feat.
“The documentary is smart in that it likely already knows audiences that go into it probably will already bring some sort of geopolitical ideology that may be ramped up to explore that angle. However, it does not really veer too far in that direction and focuses on the humanity instead of the tragedies. Now, it would be impossible not to include tragic circumstances that led to each student’s journey to the school because it’s essential to the context. But, those things are secondary to what is happening in the present. Like a great painting, it’s possible to lock in on the foreground as this film does, but the background is still part of the piece and has plenty that accentuates how remarkable that foreground is.
“Director Jeremy Workman manages to take a very heavy subject and impressively walk the line between the looming shadows that still creep in and the bright accomplishments and joy that comes from the present.
“4 CATS OUT OF 5“
Peter says: “The latest film from documentarian Jeremy Workman (whose previous film Secret Mall Apartment landed at #9 on my Top Ten list that year), School for Defectors takes place on the opposite side of the planet from Rhode Island, following a South Korean school for defecting North Koreans.
“Being an American teacher, I had little insight into the South Korean education system, so this was a fascinating watch just in that regard. But it was also disheartening to see how much shame these kids carried for their association with North Korea, bullied by South Korean-born children and having to navigate life in a different way. But they’re all still typical teenagers, with dreams and struggles and TikTok dances to record.
“The movie really shines though when it expands to include the perspective of the parents, many of whose faces were pixelated. To escape their broken country was practically a suicide mission, and it’s harrowing to listen to their heart-wrenching stories of sacrifice and near-ruin.
“While I don’t think it has the same wild narrative thrust as Secret Mall Apartment (perhaps because that was such a self-contained story), it’s still an important film, and one that needs to continue being documented, as authentic North Korean narratives aren’t exactly easy to come by – it’s ironic it took an American filmmaker to help tell this part of it.
“This film was so eye opening to the many plights of those who have escaped totalitarianism, and the ones still stuck under it. It is easy for us to forget that in 2026, there are people still living under such extreme oppressive rule.
“Hearing student accounts of their memories of crossing rivers and such to get to safety in the middle of the night and extremely cold temperatures.. really broke me. Hearing their mothers’ accounts, as a mother myself, destroyed me. The idea of having to make that decision and risk it all in hopes of it paying off is something I don’t want to have to fathom. Thankfully, for the students of this school, it did work out.
“Above all, SCHOOL FOR DEFECTORS is a triumph of the human condition. I love that it wasn’t centered on one or two students, and everyone participated and had their story, at least in part, told. One group even was able to write and publish a book with the stories of parents, community members, and students who were also defectors.
“What a great documentary. 4.5/5 cats.”