Spark: A Burning Man Story (FILM REVIEW)
Spark: A Burning Man Story
Film
Review by Kam Williams
Visually-Captivating Documentary Chronicles Annual Bohemian Gathering
Every summer, about 60,000 free-spirited
fugitives of civilization descend on an empty spot in the Nevada
desert and dub it Black Rock City to
participate in an annual ritual known as Burning
Man. The gathering basically affords
a horde of artistic, ex-hippie hedonists a week of fun in the sun free from the
dictates of otherwise humdrum lives divided between being stuck in stultifying
suburbia and commuting to boring, corporate desk jobs.
Braving nightly windstorms and
sweltering 100+ degree days, these would-be bohemians are mostly aging flower
children looking to recreate the magic they once enjoyed at counter-cultural concerts
like Woodstock
before finally making major concessions to conformity. Here, they make the most
of the opportunity to shed their societal facades (and maybe even their clothes)
and to get in touch once again with their primal selves.
Not that absolutely anything goes at
Burning Man. The event does have ten guidelines encouraging: “Radical
Expression,” “Communal Effort” and “Gifting,” to name a few. And
“Participation” is mandatory, since no spectators are allowed.
Co-directed by Steve Brown and
Jessie Deeter, Spark: A Burning Man Story is a
visually-captivating documentary which chronicles the goings-on at last year’s
gathering. We learn that the love fest is called Burning Man because the climax
of the conclave involves setting on fire a 35 foot-tall, 3,000 pound effigy of
a guy.
Many
attendees work on their costumes, floats and/or constructions for months prior
to their arrival, much like participants in New Orleans Mardi Gras or Philly’s
Mummers’ Parade. But Burning Man seems to have a distinctly anti-establishment
agenda, evidenced by the torching of 70 foot-tall models of skyscrapers called
“Merrill Lynched,” “Goldman Sucks” and Bank of Un-America.”
Why
Occupy Wall Street
when you can occupy the desert?
Excellent
(4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 90
minutes
Distributor: Paladin Films
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