User reviews

The most interesting comment from director Daniel Gordon at the Tribeca Film Festival's screening of this movie was about the difficulties encountered in making this film, none of which came from state censors or anyone at all in North Korea. The most resistance came from Western entities (distributors, studios) that dismissed the film as inaccurate because it did not conform to their own notions of what life in North Korea was really like. The tone of this film, with the lives of two young gymnasts at its center, is straight-forward and unpreachy. Aside from brief glimpses of the obligatory posters condemning the U.S., masses in blue suits swearing allegiance to the socialist cause, and abundant references to the General, what we mostly see are the two girls and the intimate details of their lives, singing karaoke with their families, preparing for school in the morning, being chided for not eating their breakfast or doing their homework, and struggling through hours of exhausting gymnastic practice. There is also the spectacular, dizzying footage of the mass games, which alone would be worth the movie ticket. There was never the feeling that this is meant to be an "inside-look," even though the film does owe much of the fascination surrounding it to its subject matter. It was enlightening and entertaining to see what life is like in Pyongyang, but to approach this film as simply a bit of cultural curiosity is to miss the richer experience it offers, one that had me rooting and fretting for the two girls as they approach their final performance, and hoping that their wish to perform in front of the General comes true.

I just saw this movie and really enjoyed it.

To those who are criticizing the makers of the film for not revealing the horrific "truth" about North Korea, it's worth pointing out that politicizing the film would have resulted in 1) the film crew's Korean minders being thrown in jail (they are responsible for making sure that the film doesn't reflect negatively on the state), not to mention the extended families of the minders, 2) most probably both girls & their families also being jailed, and 3) pretty much any other Korean people who show up in the film also, being thrown in jail.

Jail in North Korea is very, very ugly and I imagine many people don't live long there.

Rather than have everyone they ever interviewed possibly tortured and killed, the film's creators wisely chose to criticize the North Korea state only in an oblique manner, simply by stating the truth and avoiding controversial topics. Had they not, aside from the consequences to their subjects, they would never have been allowed to set foot in the country again.

Yes, the girls and their families are the elite of the state. Frankly, I live better than that, and I'm not rich. If they're the elite, the country must be in rough shape.

I'm just glad we were able to see so much of what daily life is like (in Pyongyang). Extended footage like this from inside the country is very rare.

I agree with what most posters say about this movie. Yes, the film does not show any of the real horrors of the country. What it shows is what the North Korean government would allow, and nothing else.

But the film also gives a rare insight into the (few) people whose lives in some ways can be compared to the lives of people in other countries. But where we have film stars, pop singers, authors, intellectuals and other role models that present us with diversified views on life, they (the affluent minority) have only one philosophy, and that is Kim Jong Il. They have no alternative religions, politics, philosophies, myths, icons, legends, thoughts or anything else.

What is interesting about the film is that it gives us an insight into the lives of those who are relatively well off in a totalitarian regime. And it is clear that the movie is made by people who do not live in that same regime. The filmmakers look at the human, 'weak' side of these people instead of just showing these people as role models. The North Korean government would see these people as becoming a glorious unified whole during these games. We see them as robots and slaves to a corrupt regime that doesn't care about them.

It is like British people visiting and making documentaries about the Nazi-devotees in the late 30s Germany. We know what is going on behind the scene, but the devotion and naivety shown by the people on screen is almost just as frightening, since these people could be ourselves under similar circumstances.

Since the only comments that have been posted on this film are negative, I wanted to put something positive. First off I am fascinated with countries and the ways of life other then what Im used too. This film let an insider see what its like in a country that only exists with in itself without all of the trends, and the typical attitudes by the people you will find in the USA. I can understand their hatred and frustration towards "the land of the free" and it was just magical to me to see what these people are about and what they truly stand for and what they believe. My argument has always been the US wouldn't like it if other nations invaded them and tried to control their way of life so why do they think they can do it to other nations. Whose Washington to say North Koreas wrong?? When it all comes down too it united states citizens are just as brainwashed as any other nation about what is right or wrong but the film is very good and it gives you a look at a country that is basically a secret to the western world.

A STATE OF MIND is an engaging little British documentary that follows the path of two young North Korean girls who are training to take part in regular 'games' held in that country, games that show off spectacular choreography and colour as a way to honour the country's leaders. The documentary is interesting because it shows the other side of the story, with cameras allowed inside the country so the viewers can witness real life there without the hyberbole.

The documentary works because the focus is on real people, and you spend long enough with them to get to know and understand what drives them and how they feel. The glimpses of North Korean life we witness are often enthralling, and I particularly enjoyed the training sequences which show off some incredible acrobatic skills. We'll never know whether A STATE OF MIND tells the full story or not, but I'm left feeling sad that this country remains isolated from the rest of the world and unable to integrate on an international scale. North Koreans seem far from the bogeymen portrayed in western media.

I only began to know a bit more about North Korea thanks to my school's past social studies and history classes, where at both times the Korean War was mentioned and being discussed. It was like few years back, but at times it kept ringing in my head.

Maybe because since some time back, there has been those news reports on the tearful reunions and meetings between the ordinary families of the two Koreas. And also with all that 'Korea wave' happening (in terms of its pop culture especially) and the media liberation in South Korea, she is slowly starting to present some of its darkest moments in its history onto the screen.

Just like before the start of the documentary which I saw on the Discovery Channel, it stated that North Korea is the least visited, least known, and the least understood nation in the world. I have to agree with my heavy heart, it's true. Speaking from someone who was once a History student, it's very saddening to at times for me to read of stories of how life is like in North Korea through the papers. It's not that I want to condemn the western media, but then the world is just like that.

Are you able to determine where you should be born? If you are born into a country which has a very different system of government which may deemed so-called 'evil' to the outside world, there is no way out. Unless you know how to do something about it.

This documentary follows two girls (one belonging to the workers' class and the other - the intellectuals' class) being raised in different backgrounds in the capital of Pyongyang, and how they are preparing for their country's most spectacular and well-known event to the outside world - the Mass Games. It's kind of interesting to know that in the country itself, it has three classes - the peasants, the workers, and the intellectuals.

For all those who said that this documentary is all about propaganda and stuff like that - open your eyes, please. Which is why I said earlier it's not that I don't want to condemn the western media on their portraying of the secretive state actually. I kind of know the feeling, because living here in Singapore for my entire life, I am more or less aware how those western media at times see us. Making all our democratic system of government sounding as if it's not what a democratic country should be. As it's often being said - 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.' How can you expect everyone to follow your style of democracy?

Back to the case of North Korea. It's kind of like a big opener to know how living in the capital is like and how kids like one of the girls being featured for this documentary went about in their daily school life. Maybe ordinary Americans may kind of wonder why the North Koreans as being shown in this documentary always blame them for whatever faults they have (like one of the families blaming the Americans for their constant blackout in the house), but then it's like, I don't know...the North Koreans are being brought up in a way that America is their biggest enemy and it stands everything what they disagree upon.

It's all comes back to a case of ideology. History has shown us what communism can do as it does for Russia and its eastern European neighbours once. But in the case of North Korea, its citizens had been taught to think in that manner. I know propaganda is involved, given it showed how they really respect their leader.

Sadly, propaganda is everywhere, though we may not want to admit it at times. I had heard the propaganda word umpteen times in my past History classes that I don't even want to think about it. We should at least count ourselves lucky we are living in a civilised world.

Overall, this is one documentary which shows how life is like in one of the least visited, least known...and the least understood nations in the world.

This is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. A fascinating insight, warts and all, into North Korea. It shows the highly regimented lives the Nth Koreans live, from the propaganda infused television to the speaker piping rhetoric into the family home. But aside from this you see the human side of the people. The mother telling her daughter to eat more breakfast to make her strong, and the two main characters sneaking into school due to there being late. The focus of the film is the build up to the Mass Games in which 6000 people perform highly orchestrated and ornate display in front of their beloved General, who failed to turn up. And boy what a climax. A fantastic film, and a lesson to the contrary of the constant demonising from the west.

The previous reviewer has simply bought into the US propaganda against the DPRK. Obviously it's not a rich or particularly successful country, but the family is living a completely normal life for Pyongyang. I have visited there several times and can vouch for it. This is a working class family in the capital - nothing more, nothing less. Note how they compensate for lack of water at times, by storing water in the bathtub and how the commentator explains the rationing of foods. There is no glossing over at all. The only point I thought rang a bit false was the school trip to Mount Paekdu, which "happened" to include the two heroines of the film even though they were not in the same year, and the younger was a very mediocre student according to her own teacher. That was probably arranged to organize some nice footage and a neutral topic.

This film does NOT show what ordinary North Koreans go through. It focuses on an a family of the communist elite in Pyongyang who by western standards are filthy rich because they actually have some rice and meat for dinner. Give me a damn break. In order to live in Pyongyang where this film was shot, you need to be a member of the communist party. You need to prove your allegiance to the communist party. In order to do that you will probably need to inform on other people who will end up in a gulag and will die of starvation, beatings, exposure or other privations, if you are not outright executed. The informant is a murderer by proxy.

The film follows the lives of just such people. Some may be brainwashed. Some know exactly what they're doing. Some put decency to the wind and will do anything they can to survive. It's called dog eat dog. (No Korean pun intended).

Of course this all throws in the question of how exactly a UK crew was given access to a completely closed society; a society that could violently collapse at the drop of a dime if it had more information to the outside world. Could it perhaps be that these dunderheads are actually sympathetic to the murderous regime of Jong-Il? All signs point to yes. At the very least they consider this just a 'different system' of life. Just like living in your own house with your wife and kids is 'different' from being in solitary confinement in a state penitentiary... at best.

If the filmmakers had any integrity, heart, soul, or bravery they would have gone against all odds to expose the horrors that occur on a daily basis in this awful place. The concept of the so-called "mass games" as a tool for brainwashing - which is exactly its purpose - could have been shown for the sham that it is but instead is given a nice gloss-over in this rubbish film. The director's commentary on the DVD is the prize winner. He actually states something to the like of "I am just trying to show ordinary people in DPRK" and "it's just a different system". Well the Third Reich was a different system too.

Please try to keep your eyes open people! Relativism in the face of abject evil will make you the first in line under the firing squad when the bullshit artists come to power.

Wow, I was channel surfing when I hit this this documentary and can I say that I wish I had watched the beginning of this wonderfully directed and choreographed documentary. It was a real shame that I only got to watch the second half of this film and I cannot stop kicking myself for missing so much.

I had always heard and seen some footages of what they refer to as the "lavish Mass Games" in North Korea but never really quite understood what the purpose of the whole event was. It was this documentary that opened my eyes to the world and life that the North Koreans close off to the rest of the world.

I'll admit there was quite a lot of North Korean propaganda involved in the content of this film such as the comments they make about the "Great General", but most most importantly I got to see what life must be like for ordinary North Koreans due to restrictions with what foreign broadcasters could show the outside world.

Of course this film doesn't show to the full extent of what other North Koreans have to live through, but the story of two North Korean girls was a very touching story of their determination and will to contribute to their nations greatness and power.

If I could get another chance to see this film I will watch it in a flash.

I don't like to politicize my reviews. I have found that in practically ever land there are amazingly good films--regardless of the political tensions between my country and theirs. For example, although things are a bit tense now with Iran, this nation has made some wonderful films--such as the films of Majid Majidi which manage to transcend nations and ideologies. So, if you are willing to be open-minded and look, you can find good everywhere in my opinion. However, this is a difficult proposition with North Korea. They don't seem to be making movies and there simply is almost no opportunity to look into their culture to see what the nation is like, as there simply is almost nothing going in or out of this isolated nation. However, back about a decade or so ago, a few small glimpses occurred and "A State of Mind" is one of them*. Like it or not, for now this is all we appear to have from which we can learn about this nation. And, because of that, I think it's well worth seeing.

"A State of Mind" is a film made by a British production company. They were invited to the nation to follow several girls as they prepared for the 'Mass Games'. These games are ENORMOUS pageants in which many days of mass parades and performances are done to honor their leader. Some of these HUGE spectacles required 80,000 people and millions of man- hours according to the film!! The devotion and energy of the participants is difficult to imagine in our Western cultures and I would never imagine folks I know joining in a massive celebration in which the individual is sublimated to the glory of the State. It's just so very foreign--and this is what makes the film hard to stop watching. It is almost like looking onto an alien culture--and this is NOT meant as a criticism at all.

What I liked best is that the narrators didn't over-narrate or opine about the nation. Instead, they mostly just showed the people and let them talk. Now I might have liked to have heard about the restrictions placed on the filmmakers--such as where they could and couldn't visit and questions they could or could not ask. But, this is really not all that important--what IS important is that it gives you a glimpse of what is going on in North Korea. See it and learn.

By the way, the reason I didn't score this one a bit higher is that I do think that perhaps TOO MUCH of the parading was shown. It became tiresome to watch the girls practicing again and again and again and again for months. However, even this was interesting in a way--imagine how this was for these thousands and thousands of kids who did this! Wow....

*Another documentary filmed in North Korea by Western filmmakers was National Geographic's "Inside North Korea"--about a group of doctors who came to the country to perform free eye surgery for many blind North Koreans. It is fascinating--perhaps more so than "A State of Mind" as the now sighted folks did not thank their doctors when their bandages were removed but immediately ran to a poster of their leader, Kim Il Sung and began crying hysterically--thanking HIM for the restoration of their sight.

The country of North Korea has always fascinated me (based on their isolation it's like that gov building due to it's secrecy you just want to know what's in there)and so I have watched several docs on North Korea aka DPRK and this one is by far the best. Most docs it is obvious that it is scripted with minders feeding you B.S. throughout the whole documentary. This one scripted or not gives you more of an everyday life in the showcase capital. Most documentaries about this country the showcase capital home to two million people always looked barren. This wasn't the case. I don't know how this director was able to get such up close and personal access? It shows that even though they are worship their leader under a bunch of lies they all seem content and happy cause that is all they know. It is focused on everyday life there as is and not so much about how the leader is this God like figure. It's there but not as prominent. I really wonder what became of these girls and their family. All I could find is the younger girl was in school to become a chef. The other girl I could find nothing on her. So bottom line is put your bias aside and watch this you will want to watch it a few times.

In my opinion, the purpose of this documentary is not primarily to analyze how the people featured might be presenting an idealized version of their lives to the outside world, nor to evoke pity for those living in one of the world's most isolated countries or to criticize the Kim family's control over the nation through collective ideology. Instead, the documentary seems aimed at offering a glimpse into how we might try to understand North Korean perspectives from within their context.

While we may not know if the two girls joined the group gymnastics program purely out of personal desire or what their lives are like "off the record," the documentary reveals important insights into how collectivism functions in North Korea, and how even young people internalize it. This perspective made me, as a South Korean, wonder about the role of this deeply ingrained collectivist mindset-something that both North and South Koreans may share to some degree-when considering reunification.

While Western and South Korean media suggest that North Koreans have some awareness of the outside world, the documentary raises questions about how naturally embedded collectivist thinking might evolve or adapt in a reunified Korea. Setting aside the complex and, at times, ruthless political ideologies associated with the Kim regime, it prompts reflection on how genuine harmony with those who have grown up within in two different societies might be achieved.

Do not expect to see a shocking reality about the life in North Korea. This movie is not about it. Some may perceive it as propaganda. I am pretty sure, that every scene was pre-arranged and approved by the state. It is nevertheless very interesting to see and listen how people think and live in a country we know so little about.

To me there is a huge paradox in the mass games in which the state's ideology "the subordination of the individual's desires to the needs of the collective" directly contrast "to continue the State's policy of self-reliance and independence." So on one side the state is teaching about cooperation, on the other hand it refuses to cooperate internationally.. I think this movie gives a lot to think about various concepts..

This documentary should have been sponsored by the pot-bellied, dog-eating dictator who runs North Korea. It sure portrays his totalitarian, atrocity-committing regime in a nice light.

So we have families who are filthy rich...who get enough to eat...who live in the capital city of Pyongyang...who are entirely devoted to the pot-bellied, dog-eating dictator...

And yet we hear nothing of the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, who have died of starvation and disease. We hear nothing of the fact that, in many places besides Pyongyang there are corpses which lie in the streets. We hear nothing of the fact that mass graves have been set up, and bodybags have to be used 3 times or more due to shortages. We hear nothing of the fact that there are over a quarter of a million political prisoners in concentration camps. We hear nothing of the fact that those who push for democracy are often subject to public execution in front of women and children. We hear nothing of the fact that refugee's have been flooding into China for years because North Korea is uninhabitable.

We hear nothing of the fact that many North Koreans cook and eat clay and tree bark just to have something in their stomachs.

This documentary filmmaker was granted unusual access into North Korea. He had the opportunity to do something spectacular and bring to light the horrors that exist in this wretched nation.

And what did he do? He swallowed what the Communist party told him hook, line, and sinker.

And in doing so, he has become an enabler, if not an accomplice, to the starvation and purposeful killing of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of brainwashed North Korean citizens.

If you want a real idea of what life is like in North Korea, I recommend Dispatches: Undercover in the Secret State. This documentary...this aiding and abetting to the slaughter of innocents, should be burned on a pyre before being buried in the earth.

If Daniel Gordon made films that didn't take place in North Korea, we'd probably never notice them. His often tedious, straightforward style seems to fit in with North Korea's propagandistic notions of what makes a good film. Gordon's films are watchable only because he has incredible access to one of the most closed societies in the world. People are fascinated by North Korea and will watch almost anything that comes out of there if only to learn more about what makes the place tick. "A State of Mind" is a mediocre film about what it means to be loyal to Kim Jong Il and Gordon merely tells it like it is which is commendable. But Gordon's use of voice-over and his very sedentary style of filming bog the film down. His almost-exclusive access to North Koreans' daily life will give him a niche for years to come or at least until the North Korean government collapses. One also wonders, however, if Gordon might one day be accused of being the Leni Riefenstahl of North Korean film-making. Riefenstahl was the infamous filmmaker who made propaganda films for Adolf Hitler. Her most famous one is titled, "Triumph of the Will" and, after WWII until she died just a few years ago, she was forced to deal with the legacy of having propped up a leader who is about the closest thing to the devil the world has ever seen. Gordon's closeknit ties to the North Korean regime and his attempts to portray North Korea as a normal country with people who are healthy and happy could land him in hot water someday especially since rumours now swirl about death camps in the so-called Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and there is absolutely no doubt that labor camps for political prisoners already exist.

This film is truly a weird product. Coming from the BBC, the makers are probably not that hungry and were paid in advance for their work. So it is not really a propaganda film done by someone hoping to make money from the North Korean leadership.

The images are good. Yet the off voice is doing its best to gloss things over. Making this a mild propaganda movie.

What makes things really weird is two reviews tell something. Is it THE TRUTH? I don't believe there is a truth. And two pages of reviews seem to be written in reply to the two reviews. Even the likes, which IMDb calls "was this review helpful..." reflect that. The two raising quite a few issues are buried down and the let's call them answers are well liked, yet empty. Only one review says something about endangering the people still living in North Korea. The others are just "this is the best".

So is this film a piece of propaganda? It doesn't seem to have started like that. But it ended up as a piece of support for the dear leader and his impotent son called general simply because it sounds manly.

Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch