By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 1.5 cats
Director: Jennifer Baichwal
Country: canada, france, united_kingdom
Year: 2009
Running time: 75
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1339043/
Diane says: “Even though it’s only 80 minutes long, I’m giving myself permission to stop watching this screener. ACT OF GOD is a docu about the metaphysical effects of being struck by lightning. Intriguing, no?
“Early on, there’s a ten-minute segment in which a man tries to find the spot where he was struck many years before, and joins in a
numbingly boring retelling of the incident. On to England, where we watch researchers watch an EEG of Fred Frith while he plays guitar. Later we’re in Nigeria, for a long shot of a parade of Santa Barbara/Chango, god of thunder. Little context, little interest. This could have been really cool in someone else’s hands. 1 cat.”
Julie says: “This movie had it’s moments re shots of lightning and that cool cloud/sun shot — I was interested to know about people’s stories — I think that they could have been edited down and perhaps had more stories. Seems a much better job could have been done with this one — But trying to tie in the whole eeg thing made no sense — yes random electrical impulses in the brain —
akin to random strikes of lightning ….I got that part… my god that whole eeg thing went on forever and I was not happy listening to that improvised lightning music — all that was so unnecessary- 2.15 cats
Sarah responds: “I agree with you, Julie. I thought the filmmakers of ACT OF GOD had in their possession some incredible shots and some very interesting personal stories, but it never quite came together. Too bad! It had a lot of potential…”
Thom says: “Director Jennifer Baichwal has not yet discovered that writing a script for her films might make them more coherent and give them focus. Her haunting MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES is an indecisive film that lacks cohesion. Ostensibly about a Canadian photographer, the film drifts off into a meditation on China and the toxic wasteland that the world’s leading manufacturing country is creating without any aforethought. ACT OF GOD is an essay on lightning that is literally crying out for narration and a discussion of its interesting subject matter from a vantage point. That view could come from the scientific community, a writer or a psychologist.
“Baichwal presents several stories about people who have been affected by lightning, have had friends or loved ones who have perished. The film also ventures to Cuba to witness a ceremony honoring Shango, the god of thunder and lightning in the Lukumi religion which is practiced by some along with Catholicism, presumably to make sure all bases are covered. In England a man is hooked up to a machine that measures the neutrons in his brain while he plays the guitar. This experiment is vague at best and its relation to lightning is hazy and unsatisfying.
“Once again Baichwal has traveled the globe to obtain her footage, presumably at considerable expense. Some of her material is fascinating. Since the production values of ACT OF GOD are generally good, it is inexplicable why she cannot spend time, effort and money to tell her stories properly. ACT OF GOD suffers from a lack of planning and lackadaisical post-production efforts. 1 1/2 cats”