Not for idle minds

Rating: 10/10 (17 January 2003)

It's easy to see where the "love it or hate it" attitude comes from after watching this movie; at face value, it's rather empty. The brilliance comes from the thoughts and questions it provokes about our place in the universe. Like all art (and it certainly is cinematic ART at its finest), it really is only as good or bad as what you take from it.
The slow pace gave me a lot of time to reflect, and just "take in the view". I'm reminded of Buddhist philosophy, where enlightenment is achieved just by living in the moment, something we have lost touch with in this modern world.
The final part of the movie was summed up best by a previous reviewer: "How would anyone show something beyond our ability to understand? ". First you have to be willing to admit there are things far beyond our understanding in our current state of evolution. Just as there were to our man-ape ancestors.

I can barely comprehend the notion, but I know the next step in evolution would shed us of such a discrete and shallow view of existence. Perhaps toward a dissolved notion of self and our concrete place in space-time, where we can become more at one with the universe and each other, and away from the ideas we have of such a limited scope to life and consciousness. I find it intriguing that these are also beliefs and experiences held by many an acid user. Perhaps they get but a glimpse of a higher plane of existence, perhaps it's all in their mind. What's the difference?
That's my (very brief) take. You will no doubt have your own *personal* interpretation, and that means the movie has done its job.