Customer Reviews

A State of Mind

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I am not normally one for documentaries but so much has been said about the regime in North Korea that this movie was impossible to pass up. One cannot be anything else but sceptical when reading the jacket notes about the access of the documentary crew and the lack of interference by the minders but after watching the movie it is clear why this is the case.

The subject matter is relatively straightforward. North Korea operates under a collectivist regime where individuality is sacrificed to the needs of the state. The documentary examines a public manifestation of that overarching impetus in the Mass Games and counterposes the lives of two individuals aspiring to participate in the presentation before the current leader of the country. As a backdrop to that journey the documentary looks at the ordinary lives that these two people lead in their journey to the event.

What emerges is a picture of a society where the inhabitants see the outside world from a perspective which is radically different from that of secular westerners. The concept which continualy comes to mind is gestalt which means that the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts. What is fascinating to me is that there is no coming together of either view. The documentary presents a picture which is sumptuous in it's colours and organisational feats but which illustrates to our eyes the paucity of the collectivist ethos and the damage which is done to the individuals in that society. At the same time ina gestalt switch the viewer who holds such views sees the same film as one which illustrates the achievement of something for the common good despite the considerable adversity. Shoertages are endured and people are taught to be self-reliant, a concept so proudly associated with the concepts of Liberalism (in the European rather than the American sense).

One is transfixed as the movie progresses with the determination and resolve the two young girls show in order to achieve, for them, the highest possible accolade in their society.

From a slightly more jaundiced perspective it is not surprising that this film was shot without interference. Both families under the watch of the filmcrew live in Pyon Yang, rightly considered to be the showcase of North Korea's socialist sytem. The only departure from that city is to a collective farm for a brief holiday and although the famine's and food aid are mentioned it is not possible to infer any generalisation about life in the country from that one example which is not filmed in much detail.

All in all this is a film about individual development in a totalitarian state. For those of us who aspire to Liberal ideals it is a testament to how individuals can achieve what they set out to achieve, regardles of the prevailing political sytem. For those of a more communitarian bent, it is a film which brings out the best features of a collective system where the individual subordinates their own needs to those of the society as a whole.

This certainly is a spectacular movie, no getting away from that. It is also the first peek under a very heavy curtain and hopefully will not be the last. As a counterfactual it would be interesting to see a North Korean documentary on a western democracy to try to understand their society a little more.

"A State of Mind" is a documentary following two North Korean gymnast girls, aged 11 and 13, as they prepare to participate in the yearly national "Mass Games", which are similar in scope to the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.

Though not a "political" documentary, it is clear that North Korea is "a state of mind-control". Nearly every public park, monument, mountain, etc is named after Kim Il Sung (dead founder of the country), or his son, the leader they call "The General", Kim Jong Il. Every person only had great things to say about him and only wanted to please him. Everyone is part of a group - there is never any individualism - you will not see a long-haired boy, and everyone wears the same clothes, etc. Anti-American/West viewpoints are hammered into the population daily through teachers at school, posters, museum exhibits (purporting the US dropped plague-virus bombs in the Korean War), etc. The Army marches with the Nazi goose-step. The state-provided radio can be turned down but not off, and only plays state propaganda. One family was fortunate enough to have a TV, given to them by the state for the girl's participation in the previous games. It, too, only broadcasts propaganda, and was on for only 5 hours a day. Just as well, because there are routine nightly power failures. You must have a permit to travel out of your city. There is no internet access or email. All this is not a good sign that the isolated nation is as enlightened as it would like us to think.

The girls are quite charming and the families seem fairly happy in their regimented life.

The DVD extras include a minimal interview with the director, a CNN segment about the movie, and a photo gallery. The optional English subtitles translate the spoken Korean words, but do not close-caption the English narration.

A bit pricey, but thumbs up.

More than just a great film about the aspirations and success of two young athletes, "A State of Mind" is an amazing document of a country most of us know so little about. For the first time anywhere we get a peek inside a school, a train ride to Mt Paektu, a visit to a rural festival, and a glimpse inside the lives of the average North Korean, or at least the average resident of Pyongyang.

This is not the first movie on North Korea for filmmakers Daniel Gordon and Nick Bonner. Gordon, a former sports producer for Sky Sports and BBC, shot his first feature length project on the North Korean soccer team to the 1966 World Cup in England. That film, 2002's "The Game of Their Lives," went on to garner great critical acclaim and is one of the few films - if perhaps the only - to be shown near simultaneously in both North and South Korea.

Using the connections they had made in the production of "The Game of Their Lives," as well as the goodwill they had fostered with the North Korean government in making a nonpolitical film, Gordon and Bonner set out shortly thereafter to start work on "A State of Mind," for which they were given unlimited access, a rare privilege in North Korea.

The filmmakers spent the better part of 2003 in North Korea shooting two aspiring prepubescent female gymnasts and their families in Pyongyang. The camera follows them into their homes, showing us scenes of life that take place everyday all over the world - a mother rousting her child from bed, a grandmother pestering the granddaughter to do her homework, a quiet evening at home with the family around the television, three generations of women preparing meals, children trying to find ways to escape from their chores, a father complaining that he lives in a houseful of women who do nothing but chat, chart, chat.

Equally there are scenes that could not have been filmed anywhere else. The average citizen-athlete continually reminds us that he or she practices sport for the glory and amusement of the General (Kim Jong Il), who protects and guides the North Koreans through a dangerous and hostile world. Each Pyongyang apartment comes with preinstalled state radio, affixed to the wall, which can be turned down but can never be turned off. The family television is a gift from the state in thanks for their daughter's participation in the mass games. The father of one of the girls, a university instructor, reveals that for many years North Koreans couldn't understand the peace sign they saw foreigners making in footage broadcast on state television. A teacher solemnly instructs her students on the three great aspects for which Kim Jong Il is internationally admired - his ideology, his leadership, and his aura.

The main part of the film has Gordon and Bonner following the two girls as they train in preparation for the annual mass games, a gargantuan show featuring thousands of performers in elaborately choreographed dance. Like kids everywhere, the two girls featured here would at times rather be out playing with friends than practicing their routines, but for the most part seem happy in their lives and in their chance to perform at the main event. There's no post-games follow-up, but you know the girls must have disappointed that the General did not attend any of their performances.

Like "The Game of Their Lives," what makes "A State of Mind" truly special is that the filmmakers keep their opinions to themselves and let their subjects and the camera do the talking. The polemicizing has been left to the reviewers and the reporters, a very good example of which is contained in the bonus section of the DVD, a 5-minute feature from CNN in which "reporter" Paula Zahn makes it clear to her audience exactly how it is supposed to interpret some of these scenes.

See it for yourself and make your own decisions.

I highly recommend A State of Mind, a newly released documentary on North Korea. Why do I recommend it? It is particularly worth seeing because British filmmaker, Daniel Gordon, was actually given permission to film by North Korea, one of the least known or understood nations in the world. The film dramatically conveys how an authoritarian regime has shaped the minds of its people. North Koreans are totally indoctrinated in believing in their Dear Leader, communism and the idea that their country is the best place in the world. The film provides images of Pyongyang and the way of life of the people who reside there. Interviews reveal that North Koreans are very interested in our war in Iraq and convinced that the United States is an imperialist threat to their way of life and that our economic sanctions are the source of their hardships. American audiences will be surprised to see healthy and cheerful North Koreans and to hear them stoically admit that food and energy shortages are part of city life.

The film focuses on two delightful North Korean schoolgirls (ages 11 and 14) who are selected to train for the Mass Games and whose lives revolve around a rigorous daily routine to prepare for the Games in hopes that Kim Jong Il (often known as the Dear Leader) will be there to see them perform and know that they are good communists. The shots of the actual Mass Games where 100,000 people participate in an elaborately choreographed exhibition of dazzlingly colorful, perfectly synchronized routines will stay in your mind forever. Needless to say, the Dear Leader never showed up for any of the Games.

Koreans understandably will see this as a sad film and it is. I personally find it tragic, fascinating, thought provoking and invaluable for many reasons. It is my hope that A State of Mind will make Americans more attentive to the existing crisis on the Korean peninsula and the ongoing threat of nuclear war.

Mary Connor, educator and author of "The Koreas: A Global Studies Handbook.

...just get it and keep an open mind. There is no better path to understanding North Korea than to see how life actually plays out there and in that sense, this documentary delivers in spades.

Prior to watching A State of Mind, I had never heard of the Mass Games. They are a sight to behold and this film does an exquisite job of showing the efforts that go into creating them by the North Korean people.

In addition to footage of the Mass Games, this film is packed with a wealth of info about the North Korean culture. Since so little information about the country ever reaches us in the outside world, I was stunned at how much was in this documentary. This movie is just as much about their culture as it is about the Mass Games.

The Mass Games are just a single (although still large) example of how the whole country is pressed to think with a like mind. They all think the same, act the same, feel the same etc. Any questioning of the countries authority is forbidden. Housing for the different social classes is allocated by the state. They all have to listen to the same one radio station and watch a single television channel that airs for 5 hours a day. Perfection is expected by every member of society and their only reward is the possible happiness they may be able to bring to the countries leader, Kim Jong-Il.

This documentary does not try and paint the country in a bad light. The films commentator has a calm mellow voice that simply states the facts and describes the events. This leaves the viewer to come to their own conclusions. The beauty of the Mass Games shown in the documentary is undeniable. It shows just how much effort the people in North Korea put into this event, and while the country may be financially stricken, they have a very powerfull state of mind.

A State of Mind is an incredible look into some of the more commonly discussed points of North Korean life as lived by a group of privileged North Koreans. This BBC production follows two young female athletes preparing for the Mass Games, and provides a glimpse into to their training life and their family life. The Mass Games are highly representative of the communist ideology, and therefore the decision by the DPRK government to allow BBC to follow these young athletes was likely viewed as a means to share this picture of North Korea to the world. The portrait is one of dedication; of self-sacrifice for the welfare of the group; of athletic health and strength; and finally of beauty produced through the efforts of the collective.

Korean Studies, Eastern Studies, History, and Political Science majors should see this documentary, keeping their propaganda goggles firmly set. I would recommend this to high school courses in international studies or government, but only once a discussion on propaganda has occurred.

It was a real treat for someone such as myself who loves to learn about life in other countries, the nuances of daily living for people in other parts of the world to watch a film with insight into one of the most isolated and secretive countries in the world. The film is informative, fascinating, and the narrator abstains from passing judgement on the subjects of the film.

I found parts of the film extremely disturbing. The everyday intense hatred of my country was definitely difficult to watch and I found this a distrubing aspect of the film. It made me very sad that the relations between my country and other parts of the world are so strained.

But on another level I found the film heartening in that it confirmed what I have always believed; people are people. No matter where they live. I watch two girls hanging out together, one wishing she had siblings, too instead of being an only child. I watch girls running around after class. I watch a family eating and laughing together. And it's all very human. And I think many people in my country and others need to see that. Need to see eadch other's human nature.

One complaint I have is that we only see Pyongyang which the narrator tells us is the wealthiest part of the country and it's an 'honor to live there.' I understand that a movie about a country has to have a scope but considering the limited amount of material concerning the country, I was disappointed to have such a limited view of the country to one city that is anything but typical.

Still, great film. Loved it!

Some years ago, at about the time the US military was liberating Iraq, removing weapons of mass destruction and ensuring that human rights were strictly respected there and independent but embedded military correspondents were reporting on sometimes staged 'news events' such as the toppling of Saddam's statue in central Baghdad, an independent BBC crew was allowed inside hard to penetrate North Korea to chronicle a few months in the life of a young Korean girl and her family. Apparently, other than being followed and observed 24x7 by North Korean translators and guides, there was no interference with their reporting and, as far as they could tell, their subjects were allowed to talk freely about their love for the General (North Korea's leader), their hatred of US imperialism and to show their pride for North Korea's great accomplishments.

Jong-il Kim, the girl they followed was one of the tens or hundreds of thousands who were training daily for what North Koreans call the Mass Games: periodic shows of synchronized gymnastics, singing and other patriotic activities. Those games together with the large military and popular parades are/were ways for the North Korea's leadership to show the 'masses' that the people and their leaders were and were going to stay 'as one' forever, keep their own style of socialism going and repel any outside attempts at overthrowing the leadership. The training was tough and intense and it began months in advance of the scheduled Mass Games but the kids shown appeared to be always determined and motivated and, while sometimes complaining of bruises or injuries, never questioning the importance of their work: to make the General happy and proud and prove themselves as great future patriots and communists. Dancing for the General, in General's presence is the greatest honor a young North Korean can possibly dream of.

As the training and rehearsals are followed we get a chance to see brief snapshots of life in North Korea's capital city. There is an apartment were a 'working class' family lives. There is another apartment in which a family of 'intellectuals' lives, not unlike the working class family apartment. Here is a housewife shopping for semi-plucked, skinny chicken - and each citizen is allowed one chicken and 6 eggs every month. There is this incredible Orwellian footage of the speaker (NOT a radio) that apparently MUST exist in every kitchen, piping constant government propaganda, whose volume can be lowered but can NEVER be turned off. Life is tough but people say they trust their leader and say that they are ready to die defending him. Pride they have and there's little else they have but pride seems to keep them going. Without revealing the plot because there is none, once the Mass Games take place - sadly, the General can't attend - and the performances are over the girls go back to intense training for the next Games and so life in North Korea continues.

Strangely, I could not stop watching this movie/documentary once I started. Beyond the staged ten thousand kids performing some elaborate and perfectly synchronized choreography the camera keeps coming back to the girls' families, their picnics, their sad-to-us-looking pilgrimages to revolutionary sacred grounds. It's heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time, observing the humanity of these overworked, undernourished, starved for real news little people and their quick transformation into fierce, perfectly disciplined fighters or robot-like-perfect flashy athletes and dancers, approvingly applauded by the ruling elite in the stands. These children who will never grow as tall as their chromosomes say they should, likely to begin losing their teeth and their good health at an early age and unlikely to ever travel beyond their country's and sometime their city's boundaries, they aren't that different from our own, pledging their allegiance to the flag each morning, better fed, playing different games, often within earshot of some news broadcast freely repeating what could be the consensus line on current events.

Lessons learned?

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>> Brush your teeth, it's the law! <<

A State of Mind is truly a very rare look at life in North Korea. While we are not shown all aspects of North Korean life--not by a long shot--we do gain great insight into the country's culture as the government wants it to be: the individuality of the person is essentially cast aside for the need and the good of the total society. To see the impact of this philosophy and style of government (which is not exactly a democracy), we see two young girls striving, regardless of any physical pain, to be chosen to participate in the Mass Games, an annual event in North Korea. The Mass Games are stunning to watch as many thousands of gymnasts and others dance, perform, and create pictures to show their dedication to the government and to "The General," North Korea's current leader, Kim Jong Il.

The film progresses very well and I learned a lot about North Korean life even though the focus was on the two young girls preparing and hoping to be chosen to participate in the current year's Mass Games. Kim Song Yun and Pak Hyon Sun practice seemingly endlessly.

To a lesser extent, we also see a few of the hardships people face in North Korea; there are blackouts almost every night even in Pyongyang, the capital of the country, if you are considered privileged so that the government will allocate living quarters for you and your family to live there. There is also a very limited media which consists of one television station that broadcasts five hours a day. In addition, there is footage of young girls (including Kim Song Yun and Pak Hyon Sun) being taught in school how evil America is; and it seems that whenever anything goes wrong (for example, a blackout) the people automatically blame American "imperialists."

However, the true focus of the movie is on the games; and I must say they are extravagant, stunning and amazing--to say the least. You're bound to enjoy and even marvel at the footage of past Mass Games; the precision with which everyone performs is striking and superlative.

Overall, I highly recommend this documentary. It shows us a slice of life in a country that is not often understood especially because North Korea's government is rather enigmatic. This is also an excellent film for anyone who enjoys sports and political documentaries.