SF DocFest: Mana: Beyond Belief

It was the usual scene outside the Roxie during a film fest -- odd groups of people clumped in odd places on the sidewalk, frantic-looking pedestrians just trying to get into Truly Med, people with official badges and clipboards walking around -- is it the love of indie film that drives them? What makes people act so oddly around things they love?

Well, we thought you'd never ask! Kicking off the 2005 SF DocFest is Mana: Beyond Belief, an experimental documentary exploring the power of material things to inspire belief. Or, in other words: fetish objects. Not necessarily sexual objects (though there's a funny scene with a man wearing a codpiece), but tangible things that have power over people -- like Elvis. Or the shroud of Turin. Or funeral rituals in Asia. Or tuna fish in Japan. Mana is defined as "the power that exists in things" -- Check out the filmmakers' website for more information.

Picture from Mana: Beyond Belief, (c) Strange Attractions, Inc. and ADR Productions. Camera: Van Carlson. Thanks to Chris from Larsen!

The movie was billed as "this year's Rivers and Tides," and while we haven't actually seen Rivers and Tides yet, Mana is undeniably beautiful to watch. The movie was shot on digital video and then transferred to 35 mm film, and the objects of desire have probably never looked nicer.

There's no narration in the movie, so you're thrown into a bunch of places, not knowing where you are, what's going on, or why everyone is acting so odd -- why are all these people pressing their fingers on a big gold rock? Is that a goat? What's that man carving? -- but as you settle in and figure out what's going on, you're like, ...oh! It's like travelling in a country where you don't speak the language -- the initial alienation you feel from what's going on is part of the experience.

It's fascinating to watch how everyday objects suddenly turn mystical, and how mystical things turn perversely ordinary -- we particularly liked the scene with the Shroud of Turin -- you see a piece of cloth, suddenly you see Jesus, and then it turns into a piece of cloth again. "Pilgrims, please exit to the left to allow the next group to enter." And there's a hilarious scene about people who request to have flags flown on Capitol Hill. There's apparently two guys in DC whose only job is to raise and lower a zillion flags to send back to Congressional constituents. Awesome.

At the beginning of the film, the filmmaker warned the audience that "only half of this movie is true. That means you can either believe half of the stories, or half-believe everything you see." That's the power of a movie about belief.