I finally managed to watch a few of the movies that have been languishing in my Netflix queue for months. One of those electronically dusty movies was "A State of Mind". It is a documentary about the Mass Games in North Korea and was actually filmed in the little seen Pyongyang. If you have any interest in North Korea, you simply must see this movie. It is a fascinating look at the culture, families, games, and society of the most self-secluded nation on Earth.
The documentary, set in 2003, follows a couple of school-aged girls who are preparing for the Mass Games. The Mass Games are held on major holidays in North Korea, such as "The Dear Leader's" birthday, and are a fascinating spectacle of unity, athletic skill, and synchronized choreography. It is considered a great honor to be chosen to participate in the games, and an even greater honor if Kim Jong-Il attends.
Watching these boys and girls train is simply amazing. Most often they train their gymnastic skills outdoors...on concrete. I can't even imagine the lawsuits that would ensue in the US if someone was forced to train on concrete and suffered an injury. But they generally don't complain about the conditions. Any complaints are more centered around the long hours and fierce training schedule.
Beyond watching the girls prepare for the games, the viewer is allowed an unprecedented look at family life in North Korea. How a Western film crew managed to get such access is really beyond me. I'm guessing it's because the film crew merely watched and listened, without really interacting and/or criticizing. They didn't really need to anyway; the comments of the girls and their families was insightful enough. Even more interesting sometimes, though, is how alike all teenage girls are, even in such a strict and sparse society. Giggling, complaining about training/homework, gossiping with each other, being late for class, oversleeping....
What's most amazing to witness, from an American perspective, is the absolute devotion most of these people seem to have towards their country and their leader. They are raised believing that the United States is the cause of most of their problems, and therefore have an immense dislike of the West. Each kitchen has one wall-mounted radio that spews forth propaganda all day, every day. You can turn the volume down, but never completely turn it off. In addition, there is one TV channel available to them that offers North Korean "news" and entertainment for five hours a day. This kind of control is completely foreign to any Western society, but no one the film crew talked to seemed to mind. The only comment about it was from the father of one of the girls who wished that he could hear what the US was going to do about Iraq, because he thought it would greatly impact North Korea. Unbeknownst to him, the US invaded Iraq three days earlier, but the news had not been released to the North Korean public yet.
This movie is definitely worth your time to watch. The strict communist/socialist societal views juxtaposed with the beauty of the Mass Games is simply fascinating. I don't think that any individualistic society would be capable of creating the mass synchronicity that is demonstrated by the hordes of citizens involved in the games. You won't be sorry you spent the time to view this. FYI: It's currently available as an Instant View on Netflix, so there's no good excuse for not watching it. If you have a computer, Xbox, PS3, or Wii and Netflix, then you can watch this. Now get to it!!!
3 comments:
I watched about an hour of it and that's all I could stand for now. Maybe I'll finish it later.
US bombs during the Korean War are responsible for the national psyche? BS. How about decades and decades of propaganda, death threats and brainwashing? Ever heard of Nagasaki and Hiroshima? Those were *ahem* pretty tough on the Japanese, and their country looks nothing like North Korea. Why? Because they kicked their "dear leader" to the curb after their war was over.
We need fewer films about how "the Russians love their children, too," especially when the "candid" interviews are so obviously scripted. To put it mildly, no sh*t, Sherlock, we know they are "just like us" over there. We have known that all along. That's not the problem. Their leaders and system of government are the problem. I'll believe the film crew had "full access" to NK when they show Kim Jong Il and his prostitutes, mansions, and fancy cars.
It sickens me to see such efforts in the Mass Games knowing that those same people, if turned loose to their own desires and their real talents, would accomplish things 1000 times more astounding and laudable.
I think the Berkeley history department sent that history teacher a job offer... ;>
Another journalist's perspective on Pyongyang. It's quite different:
http://article.nationalreview.com/438959/five-days-in-pyongyang-part-i/reggie-gibbs
I have no illusions that the film made it out of North Korea with everything they filmed. I'm sure the film crew had to make a deal with "The Dear Leader" to not show North Korea in a negative light. One could easily view this film as propaganda to acquire more international aid. But if you look in the background and read between the lines, it's a fascinating glimpse. And yes, I'm sure the "stars" were told what they could and could not talk about and given "suggestions" for what to say. For me, though, that doesn't diminish the great things you can pick out of the crap.
From their view, they have a legitimate fear of the US, as the Korean War (still not over) has imprinted itself on the national psyche, and they are ingrained with anti-US thoughts. That doesn't mean that the atrocities committed against the Korean people by China and Japan are any less a part of their psyche, but this film was geared towards a Western audience, and ergo they focused on feelings regarding the Western "threat".
Every "documentary" is going to have a bias. There's no way around it. Even if you film the truth, that "truth" is slanted by how the artist interprets that truth. Michael Moore is one of the biggest offenders of this. I mean, come on! You can barely call his movies documentaries at all. It's disgusting.
So, yeah... I lost my train of thought, and I'm going to stop here. :)
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