A God’s Shadow
In a quiet voice, a member of the Wirraritari/Huichol tribe of Mexico by the name of Chon calmly tells a story about taking peyote with his cousin Faustino who suddenly is convinced he is a god. An audio space gleaned from local atmospheres and the hypnotizing voice of the narrator overlays the director´s finely composed visual montage constellated by hilly landscapes rendered in shades of gray that intercut with the mute face of the narrator. But what the latter reports stands in stark contrast to the quiet visual language of the film. The god Faustino takes control of a group of 40 people after his divine awakening, and subsequently induces a bloodbath amongst them. The narrator, whose closest relatives fall prey to this terror, succeeds in fleeing to the neighboring village. (Boris Manner/Eve Heller/sixpackfilm) FICG Guadalajara, FICM Morelia, Viennale, Ficunam, FF Max Ophüls Preis, FICCI Cartagena, 15th dokumentarfilmwoche hamburg, 25th Sheffield Doc|Fest – Doc|Visions;
awards: Seal of Approval 'recommended'
- Director Bernhard Hetzenauer
Edit Entry