A State of Mind

Documentary filmmaker Daniel Gordon limns a most intriguing picture of life in North Korea under one of the most repressive regimes known to man. Some might say it's far too sympathetic to dictator Kim Jong Il, but A State of Mind isn't a political tract; rather, it focuses on a pair of young female gymnasts determined to distinguish themselves at the 2003 Mass Games, the largest such event of its type on the planet. We watch them studying in their state-regulated schools and practicing incessantly—even to the point of exhaustion—for the honor of competing in the Games. Along the way, Gordon treats us to glimpses of North Korean life and examines the cultural mindset that makes North Korean and American society so different. He also touches on a still-potent source of national trauma: North Korean memories of U.S. bombing during the early 1950s that killed more than 2,000,000 people. A generally evenhanded, and in some ways chilling, look at a world almost totally the opposite of our own, A State of Mind is a provocative, well-done film. Recommended. (E. Hulse)