The Possibility of Spirits
Directed by Mattijs van de Port
Synopsis
What is it that you film when you film a spirit? I was brought up to believe that spirits do not exist. Years of research on an afro-Brazilian spirit possession cult taught me the limits of such euro-centric views. Refusing to choose between belief and disbelief, I embraced my not-knowing.
The Possibility of Spirits is an essay-film that keeps the mystery of spirits centre stage. Borrowing from surrealist montage-techniques, the estrangement effect of Brechtian theatre and a Brazilian taste for the genuinely made-up, it invites viewers to let themselves be confused and — in that confusion — consider the possibility of spirits.
