Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock (2005)
BURNING MAN: BEYOND BLACK ROCK goes behind the scenes of a social revolution to explore the philosophy that fuels it, the social contract that drives it, and the transcendent experience that makes it a worldwide cultural force. Granted unprecedented access to the inner workings of the Burning Man organization, the filmmakers spent 18 months with the founders, organizers, artists and participants to document the full complexity and diversity of the Burning Man community. But, true to its title, the film goes beyond the city they raise in the desert - revealing the Burning Man's plans to bring its unique culture to the rest of the world. BEYOND BLACK ROCK tells, for the first time ever, the real story of Burning Man - from the inside out.
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Burning Man has been a counter culture hub and talking point for going on a decade. In this documentary, the filmmakers attempt to breakdown and showcase what this festival, which some commentators in the film call a "proto-apocalpytic, hippy neo-pagon, freakfest," is all about. And with a claim like that, one can't help but wonder what "Burning Man" really IS all about.But the film goes to great lengths to showcase the people and events that have made the festival what it is over the last 10 or so years. Often spoken about as a spiritual journey, the festival seems like an event that this documentary invites you to understand, but more often than not, your curiosity invites you to explore. Though the documentary does a great job of depicting what Burning Man is, ultimately it leaves you with a yearning to experience the festival for yourself once the credits roll.
I am a long time attendee of Burning Man, and I've seen my fair share of films about it, because I find the subject matter so fascinating and so hard to capture. Let me just say that while no film can truly capture what it's like to be there, this film does far and away a better job of relating what the event and related subculture are truly about than any of the other pieces I've seen.Damon Brown is listed as the director and the editor, which I would normally think is suicide for a feature of any kind, but he really did a bang up job of keeping the story moving along. A 105 minute documentary isn't exactly inviting to a lot of people, but this one flew by and left me wanting for more. The depiction of the Burning Man organization was pretty great, if maybe a little too friendly at times. I have a lot of friends who would take these guys to task given the opportunity, but I think it was wise of the filmmakers to not focus on the inside baseball drama in the community, since your average watcher (or attendee) simply wouldn't notice or care.I wish it were in HD... that's my only complaint. Kudos!
The Burning Man festival happens in late August of each year on the scorched playa of the western U.S.A. Over 30,000 revelers congregate to the temporary city of Black Rock, Nevada. This documentary leads us on a 365 day, behind the scenes, countdown to the burning of the man. "Beyond Black Rock" has intimate interviews with many of the keys involved, including the founder of Burning Man. The movie is an insiders view of this eccentric carnival of pyros, performers and artists. Sometimes, the films chronological structure competes with the implied spontaneity of the actual event but the 'burning man' wins in the end. We are left with the ashes everyone's spectacular efforts and a desire to return again the next year.
Of course, there isn't a focus on all the freakish wonderment that is Burning Man...that's not the point of the film. It never really was... or could *ever* do it justice if it chose to sample the art/culture/awesomeness and insanity, as one would speculate at the event. That's not how it is done at Burning Man.Its about the infrastructure, and the effort, and the rest of the very difficult things that go on behind the scenes. And though not exclusively fun...(as a fox newscast might cover the event) its definitely fun to watch... I enjoyed it very much and I look forward to watching it again. Especially since i saw it before going... it will be interesting to see it again after going.