In 2003, North Korea began to celebrate its foundation with the gymnastic mass games. These perfectly directed games represent the collectivist ideal of the communist state. A British film crew got permission to follow two gymnast girls for months, as they prepare with intensive group trainings.

Daniel Gordon, who has made three films in North Korea, provides with A State of Mind a glimpse (and what a glimpse!) of the immense collective performances that are the nation’s pride. The path of two young girls reveals the group and individual pressures and triumphs.