A Filmic Reality: Images of North Korea in the British Documentary A State of Mind

The documentary, A State of Mind (2004, England), depicts North Korea's choreographed mass games, where the meticulously planned movements of human bodies create seamless lines and shapes in an infinite space. The spectacle of the mass games itself is compelling enough to draw viewers' immediate attention to a small, isolated country. Yet, the British filmmakers more intensely engage viewers' perceptions of the realities of North Korea by zeroing in on and following two schoolgirl gymnasts - Hyon Sun and Song Yun - as they practice for the 2003 mass games that celebrate the 55th anniversary of the founding of North Korea.