A STATE OF MIND
A revealing but ambiguous North Korean documentary—better watched at home.
Should You Watch It?
A STATE OF MIND offers unusual access to North Korea, a country described in the source as the most closed country on earth. Its focus is compelling: two young girls practice for hours with hundreds and even thousands of other students for the so-called Mass Games.
The documentary’s restraint is both its strength and its limitation. It does not tell you clearly whether the girls are happy or oppressed, or how ordinary Koreans feel about the leader worship surrounding them. That ambiguity can prompt thoughtful discussion, but it can also leave younger viewers without enough context to understand what they are seeing.
The film is interesting and sometimes visually impressive, but its slow, repetitive passages make it better suited to focused adult viewing at home. Choose it for an adult discussion, not as a family movie-night pick.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESTwo young friends, Pak Hyon Sun and Kim Song Yun, practice intricate gymnastic and dance routines for hours every day. They are preparing with vast groups of students for North Korea’s Mass Games, performances honoring the country’s leaders and revolution.
Through the girls’ families and their demanding preparation, the documentary observes daily life, political devotion, and the complicated story North Korea tells about itself.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means this is an interesting documentary with real access and striking material, though it falls short of being consistently compelling.
The large-scale routines are impressive. Hundreds and even thousands of students coordinate gymnastics, dance, and painted squares to form detailed pictures, diagrams, words, maps, and photographs. The girls’ commitment and the scope of the Mass Games give the film its strongest visual appeal.
But A STATE OF MIND is slow and at times repetitive. Much of it plays almost like a silent movie, and the documentary’s careful refusal to draw conclusions can make its ambiguity feel less like discovery than distance.
The Worldview
A STATE OF MIND presents a society organized around collective identity and leader worship. The individual is supposed to lose himself or herself in the mass of humanity, while the leader remains the one celebrated individual. The film also reveals hatred for United States imperialism, discussion of the Korean War and famine, and the designation of one mountain as sacred.
The documentary’s ambiguity allows viewers to reach diametrically opposed opinions. Some may see the girls as happy and productively occupied; others may see them as oppressed and repressed. The film does not settle the question. That restraint may have helped the documentary get made and brought out of North Korea, but it also leaves the viewer without a clear judgment about the culture being observed.
The worldview departs from a biblical understanding of human dignity when individual identity is removed for the sake of the collective and a political leader is glorified. The source review connects this system with the rebellious nature of humanity and the divine spark of each person created in God’s image. Scripture says, “So God created man in his own image” (Genesis 1:27).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Mild humanist worldview with mention of a sacred mountain in North Korea and recognition of leader worship; no foul language; pantomimed dance routine of soldiers fighting, references to American imperialism, and shots of Korea during the Korean War; no sex, but dancers have a graceful, attractive beauty about them; no nudity; no drinking; no smoking; and, nothing else objectionable.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The film shows people being asked to lose themselves in a mass of humanity. What does the Bible say about the value of each person?
Genesis 1:27 · Psalm 139:13–14What is the difference between honoring a leader and worshiping a leader?
Exodus 20:3 · Acts 10:25–26The documentary leaves viewers unsure whether the girls are happy or oppressed. How should we respond when we do not know the whole story?
Proverbs 18:13 · James 1:19The film presents competing explanations for suffering and famine. Where should Christians turn for wisdom when claims about history and politics conflict?
James 1:5 · Proverbs 2:6The Final Word
A STATE OF MIND is an interesting, visually ambitious documentary, but its slow pace and deliberate ambiguity require thoughtful adult viewing. For families, the best answer is WAIT FOR HOME—and preferably for a conversation afterward. For other options, see.
