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Reviews for November 4th, 2009






Act of God

Directed by Jennifer Baichwal.


This sporadically engaging documentary focuses on how strikes of lightning have affected the life of particular individuals who were either struck by the lightning bolts or witnessed others getting struck. Paul Aster, an American writer, recalls the moment when, at the age of 14, he witnessed a lightning bolt that killed his friend during a rainstorm while at camp. Ever since that small, yet significant moment, he has not only pondered philosophical questions about chance and other spiritual topics throughout his life, but eventually also incorporated his feelings, thoughts and memories of that particular moment into his work as a writer. An ex-CIA agent recalls how his life also changed when he was struck by lightning and remained clinically dead for 28 minutes before finally regaining consciousness. You might surprised to learn that there’s actually a lightning museum located in France and run by a storm-chasing man who has spend much of his life obsessed with the amazing power and mysterious lightning. The most heart wrenching interview is with a James O’Reilly, a playwright who gives an account in vivid detail of surviving a lightning strike 30 years ago. In Cuban town, locals take part in a parade and festivities for the god of lightning, Shango. Director Jennifer Baichwal, who previously directed Manufactured Landscapes, also includes footage of Chris Frith, a neuropsychologist, as records his electrical brainwaves of his brother, Fred, a guitarist who composed music inspired by a lightning storm. Baichwal goes from interview to interview without really delving deeply and insightfully enough into the experiences that her subjects have taken away from lightning. She fails to adequately answer the question that every documentary filmmaker ought to answer: “So what?” What is it about lightning that makes it so mysterious, powerful and yet so majestic to behold from a distance? She should have stepped back assess and examine all of the observations and thoughts from her subjects who all would probably have much more intriguing things to say if they were asked more provocative questions. On a positive note, the images and sounds of lightning storms that Baichwal captures onscreen look concurrently breathtaking, wondrous and even a bit frightening, as if each bolt had a life of its own. Act of God manages to be a mildly engaging documentary that feels somewhat incomplete without enough insight, revelations and thorough analysis. Ultimately, it doesn’t quite find the right balance between entertaining the audience and provoking them intellectually.
Number of times I checked my watch: 4
Released by Zeitgeist Films.
Opens at the IFC Center.





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