State of Mind [DVD] [2004] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

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.