Gripping documentary account (produced by Jane Campion) of the outrageous conspiracy exposed in the aftermath of a 13-year-old Japanese girl’s abduction in 1977.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2006
Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story 2006
This gripping documentary, produced by Jane Campion, provides a superbly well-told account of a truly mind-boggling incident, notorious in Japan, but surprisingly unpublicised in the West. When 13-year-old Megumi Yokota disappeared without a trace on her way home from school in 1977, her distraught parents had no idea that they would be caught up in an outrageous conspiracy that would embarrass the governments of Japan and North Korea. Uncovering the strange layers of facts and deceptions that shroud exactly what happened, the film follows Megumi’s parents as their search draws them into the centre of a volatile international conflict.
“Winner of the Audience Award for documentaries at [Sundance rival] Slamdance 2006, Abduction looks, sounds and fascinates like an exceptional episode of a true-crime TV series. Directors Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim skillfully use interviews, reportage and archival material – and an absolute minimum of dramatic re-enactments – to provide narrative momentum for their stranger-than-fiction scenario.” — Joe Leydon, Variety