A State of Mind (2004) has to be one of the best documentaries I've seen for a long time, in part because it is told from a viewpoint we often don't get to hear from: schoolgirls in North Korea.
Though the film was essentially following two schoolgirls preparing for, and participating in, North Korea's Mass Games the aspect of the documentary that I found fascinating wasn't so much the Mass Games themselves but the daily lives of the schoolgirls and their family. Sure, there are the unnerving elements such as the harsh gymnastics routines interrupted only by the impromptu singing about the Dear Leader and the "once in a lifetime" visit to the most sacred site in North Korea - Mt Paektu-San - but the impressive side was that their lives weren't as far removed from that of any other functional family in any other part of the world as one would expect.
Their lifestyle was fairly Spartan compared to most Western families (no video games, computers or DVD players in these households) but the closeness of the family and their evident appreciation and enjoyment of each other's company from their times relaxing in a park to visiting extended family on a collective farm was touching. However, there were also veiled criticisms of North Korean life but it required having to listen carefully as the comments were rather veiled. In particular, some of the comments made by the parents related to recent tough times when food was in short supply and of poor quality.
In itself, such a comment means very little to an audience in a Western democracy but, in North Korea, such a comment could've had the family sent to a concentration camp for implying that North Korea was not always the land of plenty.
It's true this documentary is full of propaganda but it certainly isn't a propaganda film aimed at painting North Korea in a positive light. It is as honest as a documentary made in one of the most repressive police states in the world could be. For this reason, it is a cut above virtually every other documentary made about North Korea and should be seen.
Though the film was essentially following two schoolgirls preparing for, and participating in, North Korea's Mass Games the aspect of the documentary that I found fascinating wasn't so much the Mass Games themselves but the daily lives of the schoolgirls and their family. Sure, there are the unnerving elements such as the harsh gymnastics routines interrupted only by the impromptu singing about the Dear Leader and the "once in a lifetime" visit to the most sacred site in North Korea - Mt Paektu-San - but the impressive side was that their lives weren't as far removed from that of any other functional family in any other part of the world as one would expect.
Their lifestyle was fairly Spartan compared to most Western families (no video games, computers or DVD players in these households) but the closeness of the family and their evident appreciation and enjoyment of each other's company from their times relaxing in a park to visiting extended family on a collective farm was touching. However, there were also veiled criticisms of North Korean life but it required having to listen carefully as the comments were rather veiled. In particular, some of the comments made by the parents related to recent tough times when food was in short supply and of poor quality.
In itself, such a comment means very little to an audience in a Western democracy but, in North Korea, such a comment could've had the family sent to a concentration camp for implying that North Korea was not always the land of plenty.
It's true this documentary is full of propaganda but it certainly isn't a propaganda film aimed at painting North Korea in a positive light. It is as honest as a documentary made in one of the most repressive police states in the world could be. For this reason, it is a cut above virtually every other documentary made about North Korea and should be seen.