Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story

Reviewed by: Ron Henriques - 01.25.07

In the Fall of '77, when the American public were being thrilled at the box-office by the earliest works of Lucas and Spielberg, Japan's Sakie and Shigeru Yokoto were going through living hell with the abduction of their daughter Megumi. Patty Kim and Chris Sheridan's documentary "Abduction: The Megumi Yokoto Story" examines how a 13-year-old girl went missing on her way home from school and the lives of her parents were ultimately shattered forever. Like most documentaries, this film is filled with talking heads, manipulation of photographs and dramatic re-enactments, but Kim and Sheridan present the material with such skill, that the human story is not sacrificed.

For twenty years, the reason for Megumi's abduction was unanswered until her parents learned the shocking truth: their daughter as well as many other individuals had been kidnapped by North Korean spies. In an effort to infiltrate the culture, these individuals were snatched for their insight so that undercover spies may pass themselves off as Japanese. This revelation ignited a campaign by the families of the victims to persuade Prime Minister Koizumi to locate and retrieve their loved ones. The problem was that the politics involved made the situation too hot. For starters, the priority was North Korea's famine crisis and their present exploration into nuclear arms. With the knowledge that their daughter was not a runaway or being ransomed by a sexual predator, the Yokotos joined several other families in a fight to have their loved ones set free.

Kim and Sheridan were provided funding for their film by the BBC and at times it mirrors one of their TV productions. There are plenty of plot twists and revelations that a Hollywood screenwriter would love, but shockingly it's all true. With so many other families destroyed by these tragic events, the film does not solely focus on the story of the Yokotos. Though Prime Minister Koizumi promised to raise the issue in a historic 2002 meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jung Il, it was ultimately pushed aside to make way for matters considered more pressing by the government. Several years ago, at least five abductees were released and allowed to return to their homeland, but the damage had been done. The mother of one abductee had become an invalid and eventually died of sorrow right before her son was released. The brother of another became so passionate about his sister's abduction that he evolved from a local fisherman into a political candidate for parliament.

At the center of the story is the admirable dedication of the Yokotos who found purpose in their lives with the information on their daughter's disappearance. After several of the abductees were released the government claimed the rest had been the victims of either gas poisoning, car accidents, heart attacks or in the case of Megumi, suicide. Testing of ashes sent to the Yokotos has not resulted in a DNA match, giving them the hope that their daughter is still alive. The stress and heartache of the situation have taken their toll on this aging couple, but their persistence gives the story its power and the result is utterly heartbreaking.