Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Please don't spend money on this.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

The country of North Korea has always fascinated me (based on their isolation it's like that gov building due to it's secrecy you just want to know what's in there)and so I have watched several docs on North Korea aka DPRK and this one is by far the best. Most docs it is obvious that it is scripted with minders feeding you B.S. throughout the whole documentary. This one scripted or not gives you more of an everyday life in the showcase capital. Most documentaries about this country the showcase capital home to two million people always looked barren. This wasn't the case. I don't know how this director was able to get such up close and personal access? It shows that even though they are worship their leader under a bunch of lies they all seem content and happy cause that is all they know. It is focused on everyday life there as is and not so much about how the leader is this God like figure. It's there but not as prominent. I really wonder what became of these girls and their family. All I could find is the younger girl was in school to become a chef. The other girl I could find nothing on her. So bottom line is put your bias aside and watch this you will want to watch it a few times.

I only began to know a bit more about North Korea thanks to my school's past social studies and history classes, where at both times the Korean War was mentioned and being discussed. It was like few years back, but at times it kept ringing in my head.Maybe because since some time back, there has been those news reports on the tearful reunions and meetings between the ordinary families of the two Koreas. And also with all that 'Korea wave' happening (in terms of its pop culture especially) and the media liberation in South Korea, she is slowly starting to present some of its darkest moments in its history onto the screen.Just like before the start of the documentary which I saw on the Discovery Channel, it stated that North Korea is the least visited, least known, and the least understood nation in the world. I have to agree with my heavy heart, it's true. Speaking from someone who was once a History student, it's very saddening to at times for me to read of stories of how life is like in North Korea through the papers. It's not that I want to condemn the western media, but then the world is just like that.Are you able to determine where you should be born? If you are born into a country which has a very different system of government which may deemed so-called 'evil' to the outside world, there is no way out. Unless you know how to do something about it.This documentary follows two girls (one belonging to the workers' class and the other - the intellectuals' class) being raised in different backgrounds in the capital of Pyongyang, and how they are preparing for their country's most spectacular and well-known event to the outside world - the Mass Games. It's kind of interesting to know that in the country itself, it has three classes - the peasants, the workers, and the intellectuals.For all those who said that this documentary is all about propaganda and stuff like that - open your eyes, please. Which is why I said earlier it's not that I don't want to condemn the western media on their portraying of the secretive state actually. I kind of know the feeling, because living here in Singapore for my entire life, I am more or less aware how those western media at times see us. Making all our democratic system of government sounding as if it's not what a democratic country should be. As it's often being said - 'When in Rome, do as the Romans do.' How can you expect everyone to follow your style of democracy? Back to the case of North Korea. It's kind of like a big opener to know how living in the capital is like and how kids like one of the girls being featured for this documentary went about in their daily school life. Maybe ordinary Americans may kind of wonder why the North Koreans as being shown in this documentary always blame them for whatever faults they have (like one of the families blaming the Americans for their constant blackout in the house), but then it's like, I don't know...the North Koreans are being brought up in a way that America is their biggest enemy and it stands everything what they disagree upon.It's all comes back to a case of ideology. History has shown us what communism can do as it does for Russia and its eastern European neighbours once. But in the case of North Korea, its citizens had been taught to think in that manner. I know propaganda is involved, given it showed how they really respect their leader.Sadly, propaganda is everywhere, though we may not want to admit it at times. I had heard the propaganda word umpteen times in my past History classes that I don't even want to think about it. We should at least count ourselves lucky we are living in a civilised world.Overall, this is one documentary which shows how life is like in one of the least visited, least known...and the least understood nations in the world.

This documentary should have been sponsored by the pot-bellied, dog-eating dictator who runs North Korea. It sure portrays his totalitarian, atrocity-committing regime in a nice light.So we have families who are filthy rich...who get enough to eat...who live in the capital city of Pyongyang...who are entirely devoted to the pot-bellied, dog-eating dictator...And yet we hear nothing of the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, who have died of starvation and disease. We hear nothing of the fact that, in many places besides Pyongyang there are corpses which lie in the streets. We hear nothing of the fact that mass graves have been set up, and bodybags have to be used 3 times or more due to shortages. We hear nothing of the fact that there are over a quarter of a million political prisoners in concentration camps. We hear nothing of the fact that those who push for democracy are often subject to public execution in front of women and children. We hear nothing of the fact that refugee's have been flooding into China for years because North Korea is uninhabitable.We hear nothing of the fact that many North Koreans cook and eat clay and tree bark just to have something in their stomachs.This documentary filmmaker was granted unusual access into North Korea. He had the opportunity to do something spectacular and bring to light the horrors that exist in this wretched nation.And what did he do? He swallowed what the Communist party told him hook, line, and sinker.And in doing so, he has become an enabler, if not an accomplice, to the starvation and purposeful killing of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of brainwashed North Korean citizens.If you want a real idea of what life is like in North Korea, I recommend Dispatches: Undercover in the Secret State. This documentary...this aiding and abetting to the slaughter of innocents, should be burned on a pyre before being buried in the earth.

Wow, I was channel surfing when I hit this this documentary and can I say that I wish I had watched the beginning of this wonderfully directed and choreographed documentary. It was a real shame that I only got to watch the second half of this film and I cannot stop kicking myself for missing so much.I had always heard and seen some footages of what they refer to as the "lavish Mass Games" in North Korea but never really quite understood what the purpose of the whole event was. It was this documentary that opened my eyes to the world and life that the North Koreans close off to the rest of the world.I'll admit there was quite a lot of North Korean propaganda involved in the content of this film such as the comments they make about the "Great General", but most most importantly I got to see what life must be like for ordinary North Koreans due to restrictions with what foreign broadcasters could show the outside world.Of course this film doesn't show to the full extent of what other North Koreans have to live through, but the story of two North Korean girls was a very touching story of their determination and will to contribute to their nations greatness and power.If I could get another chance to see this film I will watch it in a flash.