Saw this yesterday at the Full Frame Documentary Festival in Durham, NC (which I believe was the world premiere).
The narrative follows the filmmaker's life as he moved from country to country, all because of political exile from his native Chile. The documentary is also wrapped around a few other individuals who the filmmaker met while he was seeking spiritual enlightenment through Sufism. Their stories of exile are also told, as many were in the same religious group the filmmaker was. Also, this same religious community harbors a dark secret which is revealed in time.
This was a heartfelt film that had some of the best editing I have ever seen in a documentary feature, especially considering he is a first time filmmaker. However, though visually stunning, I really did not get the point of this film. The filmmaker seemed out of touch and in parts selfish, in his internal and external desire to have a sense of "self" in his community. I guess the filmmaker was trying to point out that this journey has no end, or at least a satisfactory one? If anything, it feels like it is a statement on the pointlessness of belief. Is agnosticism the answer?
The narrative follows the filmmaker's life as he moved from country to country, all because of political exile from his native Chile. The documentary is also wrapped around a few other individuals who the filmmaker met while he was seeking spiritual enlightenment through Sufism. Their stories of exile are also told, as many were in the same religious group the filmmaker was. Also, this same religious community harbors a dark secret which is revealed in time.
This was a heartfelt film that had some of the best editing I have ever seen in a documentary feature, especially considering he is a first time filmmaker. However, though visually stunning, I really did not get the point of this film. The filmmaker seemed out of touch and in parts selfish, in his internal and external desire to have a sense of "self" in his community. I guess the filmmaker was trying to point out that this journey has no end, or at least a satisfactory one? If anything, it feels like it is a statement on the pointlessness of belief. Is agnosticism the answer?