I feel two ways about this film
The first, I was happy for the opportunity to get a quick glimpse in to how Ram Dass spent his last days in Maui, I liked seeing his gnarled hand and wheel chair because I realized the pain he must have been in constantly and how he overcame that.
However I feel this film was the producer's ego trip, I spent many moments wondering who this person was sitting with Ram Dass telling him that his (filmmaker's) theories were "much more advanced" than what Ram Dass was saying. I found the filmmaker to be a cringe worthy hanger-on type. He was not identified and it was perplexing as to what the hell he was doing there in the middle of the film. And yet Ram Dass saw him and verbalized to him that he could not see himself for who he truly is, which was beautiful. Compassion.
I saw the clips of Ram Dass were edited so he always spoke immediately and clearly, I would have preferred to see him in his true state, long silences and struggling with the aftermath of his stroke but still shining through. His humility was lost in this film in this way, as well as his real point.
I found myself caught up in the visual film clips played while Ram Dass's old lectures were played, to the point that it distracted away from what he was saying.
This film was not what I had hoped and I feel that it is not an accurate legacy of Ram Dass's life and that one would be better served listening to his lectures on youtube, or where ever they can find.
I feel a void left because there does not seem to be anyone as eloquent as him to carry on his legacy. He is not gone, true, but his work touched so many people and the real loss is we do not have the authentic human being that was himself here now.
The first, I was happy for the opportunity to get a quick glimpse in to how Ram Dass spent his last days in Maui, I liked seeing his gnarled hand and wheel chair because I realized the pain he must have been in constantly and how he overcame that.
However I feel this film was the producer's ego trip, I spent many moments wondering who this person was sitting with Ram Dass telling him that his (filmmaker's) theories were "much more advanced" than what Ram Dass was saying. I found the filmmaker to be a cringe worthy hanger-on type. He was not identified and it was perplexing as to what the hell he was doing there in the middle of the film. And yet Ram Dass saw him and verbalized to him that he could not see himself for who he truly is, which was beautiful. Compassion.
I saw the clips of Ram Dass were edited so he always spoke immediately and clearly, I would have preferred to see him in his true state, long silences and struggling with the aftermath of his stroke but still shining through. His humility was lost in this film in this way, as well as his real point.
I found myself caught up in the visual film clips played while Ram Dass's old lectures were played, to the point that it distracted away from what he was saying.
This film was not what I had hoped and I feel that it is not an accurate legacy of Ram Dass's life and that one would be better served listening to his lectures on youtube, or where ever they can find.
I feel a void left because there does not seem to be anyone as eloquent as him to carry on his legacy. He is not gone, true, but his work touched so many people and the real loss is we do not have the authentic human being that was himself here now.