Movie Review -- The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan

I watched the SciFi documentary on the film director M. Night Shyamalan. This was probably done in anticipation for his upcoming movie The Village (2004) which you may have heard about. Shyamalan is well known as the director of several successful movies including Signs (2002), Unbreakable (2000), Stuart Little (1999), Wide Awake (1998) and The Sixth Sense (1999) . (I thought THE SIXTH SENSE was an especially wonderful movie!)

I had to watch this documentary because of all the anticipation building up with SciFi's advertising. I had to know what the "buried secret of M. Night Shyamalan," was! Well... I like the documentary although it took a bit of slow going to get to the points of the piece. I felt a lot more suspense from the advertising for it rather than while watching the documentary. This documentary film team did get a bit over dramatic about their search making the simple questioning of people on the street seem dizzying. That is show business! This is an interesting peek into the spirit of documentaries. The people who are doing the investigations seemed to lie openly and quite freely, driven by their insatiable curiosity. I think it is great that they show how the information is actually obtained.

Towards the beginning of the tape, the documentary team comes upon a small group of teenage boys standing by the gate of Shyamalan's home. They are not supposed to be there... any of them. But the doc goes beyond the approved list of who they are supposed to speak to. "Don't you know the secret?" this group of lurking teenagers ask. It turns out that Shyamalan is connected to the "other side" according to this small and literally hooded group.

One of the teenagers takes the film crew back to his home and consults the Ouija board. (His mom did not mind.) Without touching the board, the indicator suddenly snaps towards the "YES" location when asked if Shyamalan is connected to the other side. They had to use his real first name, Manoj, to get a response. Both the young man and the documentary leader pull their hands back up and into the air assuming a sort of "I surrender" posture at the sudden movement. If you notice the position of the teenager's finger furthest from the camera's point of view, it is in the wrong place for someone who has suddenly flung their hands up in surprise. I strongly suspect he flicked the indicator with his inside finger since it is bent while the rest of his fingers are back. Now let me tell you, I have seen boards move a lot without any trickery, that is not what I am talking about. I just thought I would point this situation as a possible prank. If you have it on tape, take a look. If the other stuff on the tape is true, this takes away from some of its believability for me personally.

If you do not want to see a spoiler to this doc, do not move on in reading this...

Towards the end the secret finally is squeezed out. It turns out that Shyamalan drowned in an icy pond in his youth and was brought back to life after approximately 35 minutes. There are no medical records provided to support this but the documentary comes to this conclusion through investigation. That certainly would give Shyamalan Shaman status in some cultures. The documentary leader approaches Shyamalan about making movies about his own life. There are striking elements in the director's life that are also presented in his movies. His character drowns in an icy pool, a young boy sees dead people, another character is never ill. Shyamalan is upset about the question posed and never directly answers it. Now this is where I can see a problem. These films may possess elements and ideas from the directors life, however, they may not actually be exactly biographical. From the scenes I saw from THE VILLAGE, I certainly hope that is the case!


I did find it interesting that Shyamalan may be a Shamanic type person. I think that is even wonderful. He is a very fine young director with a surprising hit after hit at the box offices. I even believe that he is potentially tapped in to the other side on some level, since that is the way I comprehend his movies. He generously gives an important point of view in his movies and a refreshing element of surprise. If he is a Shaman type person, I wonder why he would need to hide this fact? Could this just be a publicity plot to finally release this information?

Shyamalan only works within a certain radius of his home. He refuses to shoot outside this area. The reason given in the documentary for this is that a Shaman's power is often considered to be local in nature. I never thought of that! It is interesting since I never heard a difference, hearing about experiences with travelers as well.

Give a shout out to Shyamalan! I say if he is Shaman or connected to the other side more power to him! Go for it. I have no problems with those who walk in both worlds at once and give the rest of us a small part of that vision... especially when they result in some great pieces of film art.

***

http://www.scifi.com/mnight/press/ to follow the news stories about the controversy over this documentary.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/17/biography.hoax.ap/ Television network admits it lied about unauthorized biography, CNN

Movie Review -- What About Schmidt

Schmidt Happens


Jack Nicholson was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe, and SAG Award for his lead performance in "About Schmidt." About Schmidt Received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture and was named Best Picture of 2002 by the Los Angeles Critics Association.




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I thought "About Schmidt" was a good movie. It is not a great movie to me, but to many people, it was. (I say that so much, someday I will have to make a list of great movies besides Gladiator, The Sorcerer's Stone and Woody Allen's Sleeper. I also have a Gumby and Charlie Brown collection too.) It is not a of movie one can recommend to everyone, but I feel safe in saying that a spiritual person might receive something extra special from its theme.

"Someone" mentioned to me one time that "About Schmidt" was scary. In a way that we can experience life, perhaps it is. It is the kind of scary movie one could easily sleep through, but it has a way of touching your mind with its plainness. The critics found that this was a wonderful movie for the apparently. I was standing in line awaiting a sale opening for quite awhile with several senior citizens. The everyday critics in this line said. "You have to be retired to understand... It was a great movie." This movie must have really touched the older generation. They felt very strongly about the film.

Schmidt lived a comfortable and fortunate life in many ways, and was a good provider for his family. Many people are. "About Schmidt" captures the essence of ordinariness. This is a movie that is very internal with lots of self dialogue and journaling in the form of letter writing. If someone asked me for a view on the plain, average life of "somebody," it could almost be this movie. I understood Schmidt and his hope of finding something good he did for the world. Hopes, dreams, and sometimes our accomplishments feel like nothing when they are the past... even if we worked our whole life for them. I was touched by his sudden feeling of insignificance. He had the sort of life we all tend to have. He dreamed of one day being on the cover of Newsweek like Jack Welch or one of those big businessmen. He did become a successful actuary (Becoming an actually, is a very difficult path and actually quite an accomplishment.) and got his tiny picture on the front of the internal newspaper for his company.

Schwartz feels his daughter is about to fail but the problem with the daughter was somewhat undeveloped and difficult to see in this movie.. With retirement, and other losses he experiences all at once, he feels his daughter was the one good thing he did and does not want her to fall. The movie often contrasts scenes of excess that we all see in everyday life with the experiences of those less fortunate. Schwartz's wife loves to try new restaurants and made sure they got the biggest and best Winebago to tour the country with. Food is everywhere and people eating so much at the buffet, Schwartz begins to feel this is unbearable. Schwartz starts to really feel and observe this excess and at some point, when he adopts a child overseas named Ndugu.

I watched some of the outtakes available on the DVD edition. Some of the movie is not well explained, such as the split with his daughter. I wondered what was the problem between them. For one thing, one of the scenes cut is where he is trying to bring up fond memories with his daughter. He feels very loving to his daughter and wants the best for her. He says, "I remember taking you to horseback riding lessons..." She looks surprised and says, "When? Once maybe," and a confused thoughtful look comes across her face. He obviously has not participated that much in her upbringing but has funded it well. He had her picture in his office and thought of her. There is some discussion about whether he actually did take her to a lesson or two, and it ends with Schmidt saying, "Well, it is a nice memory." His daughter seems to prefer that Dad just continue to send money, as he always has. The final movie expects us to get this all in one line when the daughter yells, "You want to get involved in my life now?!"


This is a very quiet movie with some barely fast Winebago maneuvering. I did not find it particularly funny. Those people who make the movie trailers are so darn talented. I found the trailer very funny, especially the way they timed the narration with the scenes. I won't spoil the ending for you, but the ending is quite emotionally touching and yet so simple. It may catch you by surprise with the emotion it makes you feel. It brought tears to my eyes as Schmidt realizes he has done and can do some nice things for the world after all. He still has time.

Jack Nicholson acted so well in this part, I would be very surprised to find out if he has not had these experiences before. I would even nominate his hair and his five o'clock shadow for best acting parts. (Of course this movie is famous for its set of over-the-hill breasts... but those don't belong to Jack.) Perhaps Jack has changed. I hear rumors that he is eating yogurt and was caught being nice to small yap dogs. There were even photos.

The movie has attempted to do some very nice things for the world. The DVD copy has an envelope inside it from Childreach that says, "Meet the real Ndugu!" Very touching. For awhile, The Childreach Press Center had a link to read about Ndugu and where he lives. It was interesting to see the response of the village who has never seen a movie and children who regard America as a "story." Ndugu's autograph was very sweet.




* Over the Hill Breasts: It is up to you. I was just as frightened as the character in the movie this one.
***** Best Acting Parts: for Jack's Hair and Five O'clock Shadow.
***** Depicting Ordinariness: Life was presented in a very orginary way and yet contrasted with what we can still do to make a difference.



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From the envelope inside of the DVD case:


Meet the REAL Ndugu!

childreach.org

Change a life. Maybe even your own.

First, watch and enjoy this extraordinary film. Note that when the newly retired insurance executive Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) reaches out at last to make a difference in the world, he calls Childreach.

Childreach is a very real organization helping millions of children in the poorest countries of the world for over 65 years. One of the ways we help is through sponsorship, the wonderful opportunity for someone like you to make a real and lasting difference in the life of a child, a family, a community.

Many people spend their whole lives thinking about making a difference in the world. It took most of Warren Schmidt's life just to pick up the telephone and call Childreach. It took a 7-year-old boy in a remote village in Africa to show Warren he really can change a life, as a Childreach sponsor. And in so doing, change his own...

0 - Alchemy - Finding Your Stone

The Vision of Gold



I watched the great ball of golden fire turn and swirl. I could only see into a small part of the giant orb because it was so vast. A piece of this golden fire swirled and broke away. Then another small part swirled from the mass similar somehow to the first. These golden flames broke away forming into beings. New as they were they looked at themselves. The new beings then turned and gestured in happiness toward each other.

My guide has this same golden glow. Wherever he goes he casts a golden energy that permeates everything. I asked him to stand in my alabaster house in astral. As I watched him step inside, my home glowed with a flame of his being lighting up like a holiday ornament. Suddenly, I realized this was the philosopher’s stone. We all have the opportunity to find the gold inside of us. All the materials are there awaiting transformation.

---EvonneTheStoryteller
An experience in astral.

Symbolism and Upward Movement: Ladders, Stairs and Mountains

To reach the summit, one must proceed from encampment to encampment. But before setting out for the next refuge, one must prepare those coming after to occupy the place one is leaving. Only after having prepared them can one go on up. That is why, before setting out for a new refuge, we had to go back down in order to pass our Knowledge on to other Seekers."
---René Daumal, Mt. Analogue






I am reading Mt. Analogue. It is a tale about finding and climbing a mountain that the world cannot see and therefore cannot find. The climbers manage to find the mountain by ship, knowing in their hearts that it exists. They find this mysterious mountain and are greeted by the people there and even handed currency for their trip. Of course they wonder what the exchange is for the currency and how everyone knew they were coming. How much is this trip going to cost me? We always ask. The climbers must find the diamond like jewel in the mountains. That is the only real currency. It exists no where else. There are many rules we learn for climbing the mountain. Some reach a certain spot and settle there. Others are driven to go on.

I think about ladders and other ways to go up in the world. One day, I even looked up the kind of ladders there are in the world. There are quite a few.

Apparently there are fixed ladders, like the permanent metal staircases that we use as fire escapes. Some ladders are portable. You take them with you for when you might need them again. Perhaps those are the ones the angels use to move up and down from their place. The angels' ladder is referred to as Jacob's Ladder for them to ascend and descend. It is in Genesis.
A stairway is a type of ladder and is often used as a symbol too. I like stairways myself since you can put your whole foot on each step. It seems so much more stable I can even sit on the stairs sometimes but traditionally stairs are not known as places to rest your rear end. There are the standard stairways and even spiral stairways. I suspect many of us take a spiral path. It is important to remember that once you successfully climb a stairway or ladder that you are firmly on the floor or ground and less likely to fall. This level represents the level of your training you can fall to during your worst of times. That is a tough but true way to see where you really are. The fall down the steps can be a most effective lesson. It is nice to know that you would have to try really hard to fall down another level. In the movie "White Oleander" one of the characters mentions that it is nice to be in the house for children who have no families. "It is the floor that you cannot fall below."

The parts of the ladder are important too. If they are broken or not operating correctly, someone attempting to climb could get hurt. The rungs on a ladder represent levels in a hierarchy, and can symbolize levels of spiritual awareness. A ladder may indicate communication between levels, or ascension to a higher spiritual plane. It can also be the moving to a lower level, of course, but I reflect on how few of us climb down. Most of us tend to fall or dream of accidentally plunging. The game of "Chutes and Ladders" can be considered somewhat related to this idea. You climb up the ladder if you land on a good spot in the path. If you land on a "chute spot" you slide down and away from the goal.

A person may consider that part of the lesson of the labyrinth is that the traveler appears to be the furthest away and yet is always moving closer to the goal. Movement away from the center in a pattern the person can see brings on the realization that moving down or away is still mysteriously moving towards the goal. "One must go down to go up," and "what goes up must come down," if we must count gravity in the equation. Mt. Analogue makes it clear that the mountain must be ascended and also descended.

The journey is of a very personal nature, with no one man having the same experience or way as the other. Everyone in the Mt. Analogue story climbs as a team and thinks of others as they do so. In going up the climbers leave marks to find their way down, or some sign they have been there. The signs are for retracing their own footsteps and also for others. In coming back down, it is important to move the marks from some of the more dangerous passes so as not to mislead others into making the same errors.

Illumination on the ladder is vital or at the very least, quite helpful. You don't want to be climbing so much in the dark but sometimes we do. At least I climb in the dark all the time. Sometimes it is not on purpose. No one knows you are there and they innocently flick the lights off. It takes a few more bumps to get anywhere.
A ladder can be used not only as a passage between levels but is also used to get across openings or around obstacles. Think of a pedestrian footbridge. It takes you up and away from a lower level where a person is most likely to look like a crazed squirrel trying to cross traffic. The bridge brings us to a safe upper passage. We are symbolically rising above the situation. As I mentioned before, stairways and ladders can go downward too. You may need to see what is going on in the basement with the furnace or the pump or what the cat seems to be attracted to down there. One could even cross under the highway to avoid being run over if there is an awareness of a lower passage leading to the goal.

Climbing a ladder can be a symbol of progress, improvement of status, or moving towards a goal. Climbing a ladder to Heaven is a common mythological symbol. It may be a natural symbol, since my niece in second grade just drew Blackie, our beloved and deceased cat, climbing the ladder to heaven. There is a little angel at the top of the ladder smiling and waiting to greet him with open arms. Going up is work. Gravity is ready to easily roll us down.

The ladder is a useful tool for many people, but you have to know how to use it. As simple as it seems, some explanations are required. Did you ever notice that the paint platform of the ladder is labeled so you know not to stand on it? That scares me for more reasons than one. An individual should not reach so far that they flop off the ladder due to lack of balance. This includes standing on the very top of the ladder or the last few rungs. (The circus performers have a free pass on this one, however. There are no rules that suit every situation.) Remember to put your tools up on the platform and not to climb trying to hold onto them. We should not be taking too much stuff up with us. This gives you less opportunity to safely hold onto your ladder and weighs you down. The truth is, we cannot climb a spiritual ladder with lots of "stuff."

Writing and communicating with others is one of the ways we can mark the path mentioned in Mt. Analogue for others. Others are also leaving a safe path for us. Sure we will fall, tumble, and we will also climb and succeed. It is all here somewhere, wherever your "here" may be. Perhaps our path will show for others even when we are gone and in a different place.
In my dreams I am always climbing mountains and hills. Perhaps these are the natural stairs of Mother Earth that represent our climb to reach our other levels. I walk up, I bicycle, and run. Up and up and up! I continually wish to move upward.







"You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: what is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art to conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can still at least know."
---René Daumal, Mt. Analogue









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René Daumal (1908-44), a follower of the teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff, also studied Sanskrit, philosophy, science, mathematics, and medicine. I am told that Daumal never completed Mt. Analogue. He passed on to the next world leaving the book in the middle of the fifth chapter. The book ends in the middle of a sentence. Perhaps he is finishing the great piece in another place having found his jewel in this world already. He left us much of the trail to follow. Daumal was a mountain climber, however, his book is entertaining for anyone to read and is full of rich symbolism that will appeal to any form of climber. Mt. Analogue is the mountain that provides the path to what appears beyond our reach. This is leading us to what we believe as metaphor right up into a way of viewing reality differently.

Movie Review -- Waking Life (2001)

Most people will not understand Waking Life. Some will find it to be one of the most brilliant pieces of film ever produced. I found it to be beyond words; a combination of film, groundbreaking computer animation, and a difficult and profane script that produces a sublime interpretation of existence.
---Excerpt from Film Critic Review



Well, this movie is certainly not for everyone!!! Remember those movies you were supposed to take mind altering drugs to really see? This one is said to be in the same class by some, but you will feel your mind is being altered just by watching the images even without substances. What about listening to the heavy dialogue? The characters walking through this great dance of animation expound science, philosophy, theology, psychology, metaphysics and great commentaries on existence. If you are in the mood for a deep philosophical lecture with a story while just sitting on the cozy couch with your mouth hanging open, this could be your film. If you are one of the spiritual people walking the earth and are wondering, thinking, and reading about the deep mysteries in life, you may even be holding your mouth open with amazement and quite delighted. It is a great feeling watching and listening to this for me. Try not to drool.

In this film, a young man realizes that he seems to be having a series of interesting dreams or experiences. He meets many people on his journey that represents many points of view. Some are friends or at least people who he sees again. Much of this is "Slacker style" I am told, but I never did see that film. For awhile our main character believes he is awake, but then he continually finds himself back in a dream state, even after being struck by a moving vehicle! He does not die? He simply wakes up somewhere different with more experiences. Is life a dream or a series of dream states? What is the purpose of being "here" and where does it lead? This is a wonderful exploration of the subject of dreams, death and consciousness. You will have to think fast on the quick delivery on collective memory, God, death, free will and consequences of knowledge. The dialogue is very quick and I found I had barely enough time to reflect on one thought before the other idea was colliding with the next one. I did not stop the tape and rewind to listen again. I let the ideas run together like a great watercolor painting being created. It seemed the right way to watch the movie just feeling the curves and splashes of colors sweeping by on the wild ride. Rumor has it that some people just watch this film and even ignore the dialogue. That must be like sleeping with the book under the pillow for exams.

The animation is as different as it is creative. At first I thought that the images were very good water color paintings and there was a slight problem with the tracking. The images keep moving and changing and were even a little hard to watch until I turned my own personal dials inside my head to adjust to the style of animation. This is up there with watching the tile floor after one too many "something or others" for a short time. Tables float just a little, plants and gardens wave as though they are some of semi-solid sea. Houses give off a little shiver. The rippling effect of the entire animation is due to a technique called rotoscoping. This is a waving animation that is on top of digitally shot film. Apparently beneath the drawings are some live actors and actresses. This gives the unique feeling of life as being a kind of living vibration and always in flux. Characters are painted by 30 different artists that change throughout the film. Each artist was free to use their own artistic eye and style. For this reason, people appear differently, sometimes appearing as more complex images and other times being more simplistic youthful drawings. Life is like that in a way. We always see people differently and the more or less we know about them, the way we see them seems to change. We all see each other differently with no two people holding the same vision.

For anyone who is taking up astral travel, there are some interesting "facts" given by the film on how you know you are dreaming or not. One character states that in a dream you will not be able to change light levels. Small printed material is unstable and difficult to focus on. Attempts to turn on or off lights do not appear to work. Also, apparently the digital clocks will not give a clear time. If you find this is true, be sure to drop in a line on this post.

Did I understand the movie? Some of the movie I understood, and other points of it I ponder. Parts of the movie were so complex and full of difficult ideas and dialogue I probably did not get it all. The pace of ideas flinging by the window in this film is so fast, it is a mental roller coaster ride. The film certainly gives feelings in the range of what we have every day. Why would he say that? Did he just say that? Who is that? What does that mean? Is he alive or dead? Am I awake? Who are we to each other? So off to see the movie travelers!!! This one will hurt your brain really, really nicely.



Boat Car-Man: Not a problem. Anchors away. So what do you think of my little vessel? She's what we call seeworthy, s-e-e, see with your eyes. I feel like my transport should be an extension of my personality. Voila. And this, this is like my little window to the world and every minute's a different show. Now I may not understand it, I may not even necessarily agree with it, but I'll tell you what, I accept it and just sort of glide along. You want to keep things on an even keel I guess is what I'm saying. You want to go with the flow. The sea refuses no river. The idea is to remain in a state of constant departure while always arriving. Saves on introductions and goodbyes. The ride does not require an explanation, just occupants. That's where you guys come in. It's like you come onto this planet with a crayon box. Now you may get the 8-pack, you may get the 16-pack, but it's all in what you do with the crayons, the colors that you're given. And don't worry about drawing within the lines, or coloring outside the lines. I say, color outside the lines. You know what I mean? Color right off the page. Don't box me in! We're in motion to the ocean. We are not landlocked, I'll tell you that. So where do you want out?
---Excerpt from the movie



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A "write in" from my Brother:




Brother: So you are all settled and get to watch more movies now? You are the only other person I know that has seen the movie Waking Life. My wife M. did not like it. She felt it was a subject better suited for a book. She feels that movies should be of lower fare. Steaks should be gourmet, not hamburger.

The one part that particularly struck me was the reference to LSD Guru Timothy Leary who believed that once relieved from the time restraints of the physical body, that he would experience a virtual infinity of time in the last 5 minutes as his brain ceased to function. This is considered one of the physical clues for the non-metaphysical afterlife and also the importance of meditation to tap into the timelessness so that one is best prepared for that afterlife. It was the scene with the couple laying in bed talking about the distorted perceptions of time between the snooze alarms.


Me: I only used to see the movies when I was traveling. They used to show movies on planes all the time. People tell me they have television on planes now. I would miss seeing the movies in the air.

I like your observation of the movie. I think if you worried about missing any of the text of the movie, it would be difficult to watch. However, it grabs your attention to different points that you may have only noticed a little or takes you from that concept you know, to another. In a book you could slowly read each idea. You could not see the pictures however. The text alone is boring. The world visually in flux, from all different points of view, as seen by more than 30 different artists, was kewl.





Brother: I think that M. is partially correct, the movie needed some kind of a companion book or program to go along with the movie, like what they with an opera or the ballet. Some parts were so obscure that they were lost and no more than pretty pictures. I wanted a companion book or program so that I could look up some of the references. Even with the internet, it is difficult to track some things down. It took me ages to find the Timothy Leary references.

Maybe they knew that those with certain backgrounds would get some things and not others as opposed to the spoon fed generation, "If they wanted me to know, why didn't they just tell me."



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http://www.american-buddha.com/waking.life.htm More quotes from the movie.


http://jamesrskemp.net/html/jms2/wakinglife/jms2wakinglifeafewthoughtsonaninterestingmovie.htm:For some of the philosophy you missed flinging by those little foggy brain windows. You can click through on different segments for the commentary on the philosophies.

Movie Review -- Jacob's Ladder

The most frightening thing about Jacob Singer's nightmare is that he isn't dreaming.

---Tagline from the movie.




It can hurt to try so hard to understand. This is what the main character, Jacob Singer, is dealing with. The viewer will be feeling the same way straining to understand and to see what is happening. This film does make sense in the end after some surprising twists, so have heart. You may be asking yourself if you are seeing Singer, a traumatized Vietnam vet, alive and not so well, or in Hell.

Suddenly, one day the path from the subway exit Singer normally takes to his home is chained off preventing him from moving up the steps and home. No one else at the station and large rats are swimming in the pools on the tracks. This movie screams Dante. How could this be? This is a tour of what Hell, or Purgatory could be. Singer never leaves this world, but seems to get glimpses of the overlap that leave the viewer guessing. What world is Singer really in? Could all of these angels and demons be in the world around us even now?

The use of elusive images adds to the slip through your fingers and past your vision mood of the film. The viewer is never really are quite sure about what we are seeing and all the while looking directly at "it." It makes one see what going crazy can be like. Perhaps this is the monster only seen out of the corner or the eye or felt under the bed but never dare peeked at. Is it... was it... really there? Is it still there? This movie is filled with frightening shadows and reflections, although sprinkled with just enough humor to give hope. People who help are bathed in natural light seeming faintly angelic in quality but looking not so different from us. Could that nurse have small horns underneath her hat?

This movie circles the theme of earthly attachment... hanging on to what we hope is real or what we desire. The Singer character that is inside of you will scream "IS THIS REAL? Am I alive or dead?!" Singer begins to jump from one reality to another. Is he a professor with a Ph.D. or someone who left his family to live with another woman and work for the postal service. Is he still with his beloved wife and family or living with the very sexy Jezzie?

Jacob fears he is losing his mind or his life as his reality seems to be in flux. Demons come from anywhere and Jacobs begins a descent perhaps into his own mind. His mind is what he seems to be losing but who can be sure? He does find some assistance from an unconventional healer. This healer is also a friend who comforts him with these words, which is the major theme of the movie:

Eckhart* saw Hell too. He said: The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of life, your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you, he said. They're freeing your soul. So, if you're frightened of dying and... and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth.


If you have the DVD, and you still don't understand the film, the documentary on the disc can be really helpful. I see this movie got mixed reviews. It can be difficult to watch for those very sensitive to violence, but it does not have violence without a point to the story. This movie is filed under "horror."

The director mentions in the documentary interview that a few people were helped in their dying process by watching this film. I read a few comments by people that found the film nothing short of depressing. I enjoyed the film because of how it made me think about the subject of attachment. It is certainly not for everyone and cannot be termed "a pleasant experience." I recommend the film for its view of what attachment might be like.




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*Meister Eckhart (c. 1260-1327) Dominican monk and profound thinker of the Middle Ages.

Link to information and sermons of Meister Eckhart:
http://sources.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sermons_-_Meister_Eckhart