A spectacular movie that shows what North Korea is really like on a day to day basis. Daniel Gordon takes the viewer through the day after day regiments and daily life for gymnasts that train all year for a chance to perform in the Pyongyang Mass Games. These games are a large spectacle that are a kin to the opening ceremonies for the olympics, only on grandeur scale. The purpose of these Mass Games are best described by Jong-il Kim, “Mass gymnastics play an important role in training schoolchildren to acquire these communist qualities.” Gordon and his crew were able to get so close and behind the scenes of, what appears to be, typical life in North Korea. In the process they enlighten the viewer with, sometimes shocking, culture differences. It is fascinating to see how the United States is perceived from within North Korea and the role propaganda plays in the North Korean psyche.
Directed by: Daniel Gordon
Cinematography: Nick Bennett
Written by: Daniel Gordon
Score by: Barnaby Taylor
Starring: Daniel Gordon
Runtime: 1h 33m
Genre: Documentary
Distributed by: Kino International
