I watched the documentary called A State of Mind recently. This documentary was an enlightening look at North Korea. The filmmakers had incredible access to the people. The interviews with the children and their parents were powerful. For example, one of the things that stood out to me was the section where the people interviewed said they believed that the United States was responsible for the lower standard of living in North Korea. They said it was the U.S. that was preventing North Korea from being the best nation it could be. This was definitely a very different perspective from everything that is in our popular media.

Most of the film followed the two girls in their training for the games, where they will perform amazing acrobatic routines. They spend countless hours practicing and preparing for the games. They hoped to be able to perform for Kim Jung-Il and other high ranking officials.

One of the girls was from an "educated elite" family, while the other came from the "manual labor" family. The dichotomy between the two families was quite stark. One family had a larger home, with more privileges than the other based on what the government determined is appropriate for their occupation.

This is the first film I've seen that provides an internal look at life in North Korea.