A State of Mind

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.

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 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 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.

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..