Hot Docs 2009: Act Of God Explores The Metaphysical Effects Of Being Struck By Lightning
Posted April 29, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s not surprising considering her background, that Jennifer Baichwal’s films ask more questions than they answer. With a graduate degree in philosophy and an unwavering sense of metaphysical curiosity, filmmaking is ultimately an extension of her education.
“The questions that I studied (as a student) are very much the questions that I’m still interested in now,” she explains during a busy and appropriately stormy day promoting her new documentary, ‘Act of God’. “I remember at one point thinking…I would like to explore these questions in a much more accessible medium and that’s how I turned to making films.”
In ‘Act of God’, Baichwal uses lightning as the conduit through which she poses the ultimate questions about life and fate, and how being singled out by randomness can shape and dishevel them both.
She researched extensively before beginning shooting with partner and co-filmmaker Nick de Pencier. The duo travelled the world filming storms and documenting the experiences of those who have survived being struck.
“It was very challenging,” she admits. “We researched for about two years before actually shooting…it’s not easy to go into that metaphysical realm and think about questions of chance, but quite frankly everybody who has experienced lightning I think has asked themselves that question, ‘Is this a sign? If so what is it a sign of, and if not, what does that say about life in general?”
Act Of God Director Jennifer Baichwal, photo by Michael Talbot, CityNews.ca
With extensive footage of electrical storms and an eerie soundtrack by famed guitar improviser Fred Frith, the documentary masterfully creates a sense of uneasiness — one that is akin to fierce storm clouds rolling over the horizon.
It’s a feeling Baichwal knows intimately.
“I’ve always thought about this tension between meaning and chance…the tension of not wanting to ascribe meaning to everything, and so somehow the event of being struck by lightning is the perfect example of that paradox, of being singled out by chance,” she explains.
“And because it is so specific — lightning really is a bolt coming from the sky — it lends itself to exploring all the facets of that question and that is what the film is about.”
Lightning Photos: Alex Hermant
A scene from ‘Act Of God’: Photo Credit, Nick de Pencier
In her previous movie, Manufactured Landscapes, Baichwal explored the work of revered Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky, whose stunning prints reveal the way humans have altered nature.
In ‘Act of God’, she is contrarily concerned with how an act of nature can alter us.
And while she may not have the answers to such complex questions, the perpetual student of life is always learning.
“We, who think we can control so much, are kind of powerless in the face of weather,” she explains. “So I feel like it reminds us to be humble and somehow the recognition of our own culpability in Manufactured Landscapes and the recognition that we actually are not that powerful a force on the earth compared to other things, is a good lesson to learn at the same time.”
“I guess the thing that is the most telling about this film and all of my other films is they are all open-ended, they don’t reach easy conclusions, they try to put you in a state of thinking and reflection and questioning…and I think that’s the best way to go through the world.”
Act Of God will open Toronto’s Hot Docs festival on April 30th. It’s theatrical release is scheduled for the next day.
Hot Docs 2009 runs from April 30 – May 10. For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.hotdocs.ca .
