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A State of Mind (2004) -- A British documentary that follows two young North Korean girls as they prepare for the Mass Games, the world's largest choreographed gymnastics performance.
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Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   369 votes
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Director:
Daniel Gordon
Writer:
Daniel Gordon (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for A State of Mind on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2004 (UK) more
Genre:
Documentary more
Plot:
A British documentary that follows two young North Korean girls as they prepare for the Mass Games, the world's largest choreographed gymnastics performance. | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
User Comments:
Caveat Emptor - not realistic, propagandistic more (12 total)

Cast

  (in credits order)
Daniel Gordon ... Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jong-il Kim ... Himself (archive footage)
Song Yun Kim ... Herself
Hyon Sun Pak ... Herself
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Directed by
Daniel Gordon 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Daniel Gordon  writer

Produced by
John Battsek .... executive producer
Nicholas Bonner .... associate producer
Thierry Garrel .... executive producer
Daniel Gordon .... producer
Richard Klein .... executive producer
Stephen Segaller .... executive producer
 
Original Music by
Barnaby Taylor 
 
Cinematography by
Nick Bennet 
 
Film Editing by
Peter Haddon 
 
Production Management
Alison Ollivent .... production manager
 
Sound Department
Ashley Gobbett .... dubbing mixer
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Nicholas Bonner .... additional photographer
Daniel Gordon .... additional photographer
 
Editorial Department
Yeonah Paik .... assistant editor
 
Other crew
Ben Jackson .... translator
Do Mi Kim .... translator
Jessica Ludgrove .... production coordinator
Yeonah Paik .... translator
Phil Parkin .... researcher
 

Production CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
New Zealand:94 min | USA:93 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English | Korean
Color:
Color
Certification:
Australia:PG | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:PG
Filming Locations:
Pyongyang, North Korea
Company:
VeryMuchSo Productions more

Fun Stuff

Movie Connections:
References Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966) more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
15 out of 58 people found the following comment useful.
Caveat Emptor - not realistic, propagandistic, 2 March 2006
2/10
Author: Rurik_Snorri from United States

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.

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Message Boards

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
depressing movie. neverfearclareishere
Unanswered Questions bobkoelle
Wouldn't it be nice if there was an update on the girls featured? korn_mythe
pity Pirates-forever
Koryo and DPRK travelers Gary_Goodbloke
2004 Release? cyberpunk243
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