Enter the Void (2006)
Void? Empty space? Our inner soul, void? That is how our universe is supposed to be. Mostly void, to be filled with pockets of existence. The existence or mere presence?
The Mayans used coca leaves with respect and reaped maximum benefit from it. The Tarahumara Indians and tribes from the Amazon used DMT sparingly to give them superhuman powers to complete mammoth tasks. Specific components of marijuana are actually irreplaceable in treating some intractable childhood seizures. Even the great Muslim physician and philosopher Avicenna found his inspiration late into the night in the company of his wine after his daily worldly and divine duties. Some workers even suggested low dose psychedelics allay anxiety, to heighten sensation and to explore the hidden crevices of our creative potential (think Beatles).
Unfortunately, these potentially life-saving drugs had not been given their appropriate place in society. Quite often than not, they have been abused a mode of escapism to compensate for Man’s malaise to solve their void in their soul.
This 2006 film is a psychedelic journey of the soul of a man who had just been shot. As per described in some Buddhists scriptures, the soul would wander around before entering another body, it is the filmmaker’s perception of ‘life’ after the protagonist, Oscar’s death before the soul finds another physical body.
The technique of filmmaking is somehow unique here. It looks as if Oscar’s eyes are the camera. We see from Oscar’s perspective, even when he is floating around as a spirit, piercing wall and hovering buildings. We share many of his psychedelic experiences after he consumes stimulants. The stroboscopic lighting that appears so often may not excite those prone to migraines and may trigger epileptic seizures; I am sure.
Oscar is small-time drug pusher in Tokyo who dies from his mortal gunshot wounds after a police bust-up. As in all narration of ’near-death’ experiences, we would not know death experiences for obvious reasons, we learn about his whole world life. There is an attempt to explain his life and things that happened wherein from a Freudian angle. Oscar and his sister Linda lose their parents quite early in life and grow in separate foster homes. As Oscar grows older, he migrates to Japan, earns some money and brings Linda there. They get messed up in a seedy world of sex, drugs and decadence. With the help of flashing neon lights that seem typical of Tokyo, graphic images and sometimes deafening silence between shots, we are presented with the whole picture. You would either love it or loathe it.
Void? Empty space? Our inner soul, void? That is how our universe is supposed to be. Mostly void, to be filled with pockets of existence. The existence or mere presence?
The Mayans used coca leaves with respect and reaped maximum benefit from it. The Tarahumara Indians and tribes from the Amazon used DMT sparingly to give them superhuman powers to complete mammoth tasks. Specific components of marijuana are actually irreplaceable in treating some intractable childhood seizures. Even the great Muslim physician and philosopher Avicenna found his inspiration late into the night in the company of his wine after his daily worldly and divine duties. Some workers even suggested low dose psychedelics allay anxiety, to heighten sensation and to explore the hidden crevices of our creative potential (think Beatles).
Unfortunately, these potentially life-saving drugs had not been given their appropriate place in society. Quite often than not, they have been abused a mode of escapism to compensate for Man’s malaise to solve their void in their soul.
This 2006 film is a psychedelic journey of the soul of a man who had just been shot. As per described in some Buddhists scriptures, the soul would wander around before entering another body, it is the filmmaker’s perception of ‘life’ after the protagonist, Oscar’s death before the soul finds another physical body.
The technique of filmmaking is somehow unique here. It looks as if Oscar’s eyes are the camera. We see from Oscar’s perspective, even when he is floating around as a spirit, piercing wall and hovering buildings. We share many of his psychedelic experiences after he consumes stimulants. The stroboscopic lighting that appears so often may not excite those prone to migraines and may trigger epileptic seizures; I am sure.
Oscar is small-time drug pusher in Tokyo who dies from his mortal gunshot wounds after a police bust-up. As in all narration of ’near-death’ experiences, we would not know death experiences for obvious reasons, we learn about his whole world life. There is an attempt to explain his life and things that happened wherein from a Freudian angle. Oscar and his sister Linda lose their parents quite early in life and grow in separate foster homes. As Oscar grows older, he migrates to Japan, earns some money and brings Linda there. They get messed up in a seedy world of sex, drugs and decadence. With the help of flashing neon lights that seem typical of Tokyo, graphic images and sometimes deafening silence between shots, we are presented with the whole picture. You would either love it or loathe it.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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