A State of Mind (2005)

Load of rubbish!!

Absolutely the worst movie.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

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.

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.

Watched this as a Netflix streaming video.The nominal reason to make this documentary was to follow a couple of preteen age girl gymnasts who, along with thousands of other boys and girls, men and women, train daily for hours each day in preparation for the next Mass Games. They train with no guarantee that they will be chosen to perform. Their training even takes precedence over their classroom work.North Korea is a very insular society, the people have a god-like reverence for their leader, the General, and his dead father, the founder and former dictator who they consider lives forever. Part of the method is to foment hatred for the American Imperialism, which is taught from early childhood. This is reinforced at every chance they get. Adults sometimes spoke of the invasion of Iraq, which they are taught might be the same fate for North Korea.For those of us mostly ignorant of North Korea and its society, this film is a worthwhile viewing. What I noticed is the children are not too different from children all over the world, wanting to sleep late or watch TV instead of study, or even skip out of exercise class if they could. But the whole country, officials, parents, educators, are all so closely aligned in the mission of the country,that individualism must disappear in favor of the collective, the children end up following the destiny that is dictated for them.It made me think somewhere between that, and the excessive permissiveness in many societies, is a good balance where children grow up with appropriate freedoms but still with the right amount of discipline.

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.