50
Although the documentary is ostensibly about these girls and their friendship, training and school life, a healthy chunk of it is a portrait of the two families.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
60
Admirably non-judgmental docu about life in "the least visited, known, understood country in the world," per Brit director Daniel Gordon, brings a refreshing balance to the usual blind vilification of the country.
60
One leaves the film with the Twilight Zone sense that the place isn't quite the hellhole prior reports have suggested.
75
New York Daily News by Elizabeth Weitzman
Despite the obvious cultural differences, what we come away with is a surprising sense of familiarity. Not even the widest political chasms, Gordon finds, can eradicate the universal pleasure of a young girl's giggle.
70
Most mystifying, however, is the bizarre hero-worship surrounding the fingure of Kim Jong Il, a nationwide personality cult that makes Joe Stalin and Chairman Mao look like D-list celebrities.
50
The New York Times by Lawrence Van Gelder
A rare and often chilling glimpse into the culture of North Korea.
60
Beautifully shot and crisply edited to emphasize the Mass Games' pageantry, but amid the synchronized blocks of performers, Gordon singles out the cranky coaches and giggling schoolgirls, subtly emphasizing how the individual endures even when she's trying hard not to.
70
The stadiums and performance halls of Pyongyang become staging grounds for massive, highly choreographed political pageants that make the Nuremberg rallies look like dinner theater. You’ve never seen anything quite like these dazzling displays of groupthink.
75
Has two especially memorable sequences: the eye-popping Mass Games and a visit by a group of schoolgirls to incredibly beautiful Mount Paekdu, which is revered by Koreans on both sides of the DMZ.