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发帖数: 33885 | 2 By Amaranth "music fan" (Northern California) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A State of Mind (DVD)
"A State of Mind" is a fascinating documentary about life in North Korea. It
traces the lives of two young female gymnasts on their path to the Mass
Games, a "socialist realist extravaganza" in honor of Kim Il-Sung and the
recently deceased Kim Jong-Il. With Kim Jong-Il's recent passing, this
documentary is even more timely. The girls practice rigorously. They enjoy
playing games... they're normal, teenaged girls growing up under abnormal
circumstances. They are taught to love&worship Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il;
they have been propagandized from their earliest days. When they go to the
volcanic mountain that is the legendary birthplace of Kim Jong-Il, they are
ecstatic. They speak earnestly of how Americans want to silence their
laughter. Since this documentary was made during the early days of the Iraq
War, North Korea feared it would be the next to be invaded. They take
shelter when sirens sound.
"State of Mind" is set in the relative bubble of Pyongyang, the home of the
elite. Yet North Koreans must have special permits to leave their towns.
They can't travel freely. A sojourn at a communal farm hints towards the
real problems in the countryside. North Korea preaches self-reliance... yet
it is highly dependent on foreign food aid. Even the elite in Pyongyang deal
with power shortages&rationing (six eggs and one chicken per month)
"State of Mind" is a heartbreaking documentary as well. The beauty of the
Mass Games is a facade covering North Korea's all-too-real misery. The
teenaged girls have no idea that neither Kim is God. It sets the stage for
mass disillusionment. The countryside outside Pyongyang is bleak. The labor
camps are conveniently hidden from view. The splendor of the Mass Games is
like a mirage in the desert... and mirages are illusions. |
