A State of Mind
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79% Critic Match

A State of Mind

7.9 / 10 2005 1h 33mNR English
DocumentaryMusic

Storyline

Two young North Korean gymnasts prepare for an unprecedented competition in this documentary that offers a rare look into the communist society and the daily lives of North Korean families. For more than eight months, film crews follow 13-year-old Pak Hyon Sun and 11-year-old Kim Song Yun and their families as the girls train for the Mass Games, a spectacular nationalist celebration.

Cast & Crew

Daniel Gordon

Daniel Gordon

Narrator

Lead
HS

Hyon Sun Pak

herself

SY

Song Yun Kim

Herself

Kim Jong-il

Kim Jong-il

Himself (archive footage)

KJ

Kim Jong-ho

Himself - Mass Games Organizer

HS

Hyon Sun Pak

Herself - Gymnast

SY

Song Yun Kim

Herself - Gymnast

What People Are Saying

4.0
A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Daniel Gordon's vision lands with breathtaking precision.
Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
4.0
Every frame feels alive. A State of Mind is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker