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Review: Sell Me: I Am From North Korea, EdFringe

Pleasance Courtyard Below

Pleasance Courtyard Below Sell Me: I Am From North Korea is a one-woman show which illustrates the journey of Jisun (Sora Baek), a fifteen-year-old girl, who defects from North Korea. She makes the painful decision to sell herself to raise money for her sick mother’s medicines. However, after running across the border and arriving in China, she soon discovers that no one will buy her due to her prepubescent looks. Like most Fringe venues, the stage at the Pleasance Courtyard Below is relatively small, but Baek makes impressive use of it. She uses a box that transforms into a…

Summary

Rating

Good

Based on the true stories of North Korean female defectors, this one-woman show portrays a young girl’s escape.

Sell Me: I Am From North Korea is a one-woman show which illustrates the journey of Jisun (Sora Baek), a fifteen-year-old girl, who defects from North Korea. She makes the painful decision to sell herself to raise money for her sick mother’s medicines. However, after running across the border and arriving in China, she soon discovers that no one will buy her due to her prepubescent looks.

Like most Fringe venues, the stage at the Pleasance Courtyard Below is relatively small, but Baek makes impressive use of it. She uses a box that transforms into a car, a dinner table and which holds other props inside. A large screen hangs behind her at the back and projected onto it are photographs of North Korea and animations of falling snow. The use of the slideshow elevates the story and is particularly effective when Jisun is in dangerous situations, conveyed by the images flashing past quickly. Yet, the added sound effect of a thumping heart feels unnecessary.

The script is direct and cutting, incorporating motifs for emotional impact. When Jisun is younger she plays a game with her friends that involves kicking a shoe as far as they can. This playful moment starkly contrasts with when security personnel notify her and her mother of her father’s death. They return his shoes; except they clearly did not belong to him as the shoe size is wrong. This moving moment emphasises the human element of the story, which is often overshadowed by preconceptions of North Korea, where people typically focus on its nuclear programme and grand parades rather than the personal experiences of its citizens.

Written and performed by a second-generation North Korean refugee, Sell Me: I Am From North Korea, is based on stories of female defectors. Occasionally the timelines are difficult to follow but Baek’s performance is consistently impressive throughout.


Written by: Sora Baek
Directed and sound design by: Jaimie Van Dyke

Sell Me: I Am From North Korea runs at Pleasance Courtyard’s Below until 25 August. Further information and tickets can be found here.

About Amelia Braddick

Amelia Braddick is a creative and ambitious journalist with a particular interest in arts and culture. She has experience writing across a variety of platforms, including print, digital and social media. When she's not reviewing plays, she'll be drafting her own, walking her miniature dachshund or getting far too competitive at a pub quiz.