The Mole: Undercover in North Korea

dir. Mads Brügger 2020 Norway, Denmark, United Kingdom, Sweden 124 min.
A real-life undercover thriller about two ordinary men who embark on an outrageously dangerous ten-year mission to penetrate the world’s most secretive and brutal dictatorship: North Korea.


The story of ‘The Mole’, an ordinary family man from Denmark turned secret agent, and 'Mr. James', a former jet-set cocaine pusher posing as Scandinavian billionaire. Together with director Mads Brügger, they attempt to find a smoking gun to prove how North Korea is busting UN sanctions.

Incredibly, these two unlikely characters gain access to the heart of an international criminal network that produces and distributes drugs and weapons for dubious clients. The Mole and Mr. James use hidden cameras and microphones to secretly record their meetings; contracts are signed, deals are cut and soon the team become involved in a plan to build a secret, underground weapons and drugs factory somewhere in Africa. But how far can they go without blowing their cover?

Other movies from the cycle UW: Academy of Documentary Film, Part 1, 2024/25