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“HUMANO” film asks, “What is it to be human?”

HUMANO
SOUTH AMERICA A NEW AWAKENING
DIRECTED BY ALAN STIVELMAN
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Available November 17, 2013 Exclusively On Yekra and DVD

SYNOPSIS

Alan is twenty-five years old and is searching for the reasons for his existence – the meaning of life. A camera and a notebook filled with questions are all he needs in order to begin his journey to the Andes and into the deepest corners of the subconscious. Through the eyes of Plácido, an Andean paqo(“priest”), the existence of an invisible world that coexists daily with the visible world will be unveiled before him. Alan seeks to discover the origins of humanity on earth, but in order for him to do this it is first necessary for him to learn to be human. Rituals, initiations and new challenges will unfoldbefore him as the “keys” to unlocking and broadening his consciousness.

Accompanied by Plácido, he will be taken on an introspective journey. Such a journey has never been documented before.

Web: www.humanofilm.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/humanofilm.com

Twitter: @humanofilm

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/HumanoFilm

IMDB: www.imdb.com/title/tt2175828

Press kit: http://humanofilm.com/en/

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOrowLpeTLk&feature=youtu.be
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I watched this movie with my fiancé Edgar, and will share a few thoughts. In Spanish, with English subtitles, the protagonist speaks Spanish beautifully! The art & form of the movie is quite lovely… and evocative. You may resonate with the psychic journey because of how the visuals evoke familiarity with your own search for meaning.

Journeying to Peru in the search for meaning… for ME is a non-sequiter… I don’t see why, and the movie does not explain why… such an existential quest would or should take one to Peru, although I imagine it’s as good a place as any to seek out the meaning of our lives.

A Shaman escorts the young protagonist, asking provocative philosophical questions, along a journey of experiential practice interspersed with guiding nuggets of wisdom. “Humano” is an “artist’s film”… an “anthropologist’s film”… a “culturalist’s film”. Not to be watched for excitement or sheer entertainment, but rather it provides a foil for one’s own ponderings of existential questions — the meaning of life, the role of fear, how to discern and make sense of myth and reality, our connection with the earth, forgiveness, universal dreams, ascension, creation, dualism, etc.

Setting out as slowly as the film does, we were both moved to a spiritual readiness platform of discomfort. And the subtitles often require struggle to see.

The ancient Peruvian cultural wisdoms weave and inform the entire journey. “Fear only exists as much as you need it. Fear doesn’t let us see the beauty in things. It doesn’t let us see the Reality.” “Icaro” — a song sung without words. “People built this place with a purpose in mind.” We are called to engage with our universal connection to our ancestors, and to the earth. “All exists to be learned from, not judged, not rejected.”

Since I promote a wellness program based on the wisdom of the ancients, it is fascinating just how people of all places in the world instinctively look to our ancestors for spiritual and practical guidance. Some cultures are particularly long-lived, healthy, and happy, and these are the cultures whose wisdom and lifestyles I most like to embrace and promote.

As a catholic Christian, I definitely had some uncomfortable experiences with the film, witnessing how people dabble with the occult with nary a caution. Yes, we are dust, and unto dust we shall return. But not only are we “matter” — we MATTER. And I could not relate deeply with this film because I experience being “human” so entirely differently than the two protagonists of the film experience being “human”.

As a longevity advisor, I found the entire “almost anti-social” approach disturbing, because while the title is “Humano”, there is a profound disconnection from “PEOPLE” in this young man’s journey for the meaning of being “human”. He listens to one isolated shaman’s philosophical and esoteric perspectives and engages with only this shaman’s exercises, as he interacts mainly with non-human nature, like rocks and water. Nature is truly marvelous, but disconnection from humans goes against MY sensibilities of what it is to be human, which necessarily implies being born of woman, and into SOCIETY. We all need Nutrition, Movement, Relaxation, Connection, and Purpose. This film deals with Purpose, but I find it bereft of all human Connection except with the ancestors’ nuggets of wisdom and stories. The only mention of woman that I recall is an exercise of experiencing a cave as if it were a mother’s womb.

The protagonist is an intellectual, largely residing in his head, and I believe part of the great value of his journey is how he more “comes into his body”… in the beautiful mountains, cold lakes, weighted trekking, etc.

I think particularly some young men who resemble our protagonist… are ever seeking… and see themselves as ALONE in a vast wilderness, rather than learning and listening to and responding to the valuable and complex individuals who are woven in a complex and interdependent community all around them. I think this viewpoint is consistent with a pervasive DEPRESSION in our modern society. Isolation. Lack of affect. Clinical Depression.

In enormously densely populated NEW YORK CITY, I’ve heard that 50% of the population eat dinner ALONE.

Like “water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink…” we have people, people everywhere, but not knowing how to Connect. At least not in a fulfilling and meaningful way.

The film ends with describing our body as the most evolved form of matter… with serious cautionary implications for what will happen to this evolutionary chain if the earth is irreparably harmed.

For those who want to experience a sacred journey, and/or learn about Saqras and Apus in a South American setting, this movie will add artistic depth and interesting sights and sounds to the journey and lessons.

A prayer for healing of Depression is what this movie evokes for me. A deep love for my young artist brothers and sisters who battle feelings and experiences of VOID and NULL… who want to FEEL, to experience PLEASURE, HAPPINESS, and CONNECTION. I appreciate their efforts and their artistic pieces which elucidate people’s internal struggles.

At the risk of over-simplification, I feel called to say that I believe much chemical-imbalance can be resolved with nutrition in a social context — seriously, I’ve watched it work so quickly, and I feel this is a very common imbalance in the modern world. THIS FILM SHINES A BRIGHT LIGHT ON OUR HUMAN NEED FOR COMMUNITY. In the absence of community, one yearns for and can better appreciate community. Humans. God made us — not just you, not just me… but US. We need to break bread together. Share. Delight. Experience art — music, literature, movies, dance, comedy, philosophy. So if you go see “HUMANO”, go with a friend, and chat about it over dinner afterward.

Connection as an Anti-Depressant

Mina and Me, on a walk in the Berkeley HillsI want to share something: I LOVE walking… pretty much any time, any where. In the U.S., people spend a lot of time alone. And I used to spend a fair amount of time walking alone, even though I generally prefer to be accompanied. One time, I took a trip to Mexico to spend time with my (now ex) husband’s family. There, and in many other countries and cultures, most people spend very little time alone. I found this a little odd, but rather pleasant, as I’ve always been gregarious and I appreciate company. If I walked to pick up fresh veggies at the corner market, one of the relatives would walk with me. If I had to do any other errand, someone would offer to accompany me. And I always said yes. I got used to this and enjoyed the walks quite a bit.

Upon my return to the U.S., I resumed my walks, and the first time I was walking alone, I observed something profound. My mind happened to take a little unhealthy detour — something related to worry and seeing things from a negative and somewhat twisted perspective. I caught it, and noticed it. I thought, “That’s funny; I haven’t had that kind of thought lately. I wonder why not, and I wonder what elicited that just now.” I followed the train of thought back, and knew that this kind of thought had not been a completely uncommon occurrence for me… particularly while walking, so I wondered why it seemed unfamiliar to me all of the sudden. And it came to me: I realized I had not been ALONE for a while. I had not been walking ALONE for quite a while.

As a Spanish Medical Interpreter, I had interpreted for several psych appointments for depressed and other mentally ill patients. And I began to reflect on the CULTURAL differences between depression and other mental illnesses and treatment for such HERE in the U.S., and in Mexico. And I learned at a deeper level one of the most important Principles of healthy, happy, longevity: Connection. When you are WITH people a LOT, you may feel a little imposed upon, (oh darn!) but there are built-in checks and balances when you start to think and say things that are not true and objective, like negative thoughts and perspectives that don’t take into account the positive aspects of a scenario or the ability to resolve difficult dilemmas by obtaining community/family support and not being left solely to one’s own devices (which are sometimes woefully inadequate). “Your problem” becomes/is “our problem”. “Let me make you a good meal and that will help you feel better.” See, a lot of times people get into a negative spiral here in the U.S. because they get a little out of sorts and then they don’t have the energy or focus to do good “self-care”, so they get worse because they have inadequate nutrition or they stay up too late, don’t shower or get dressed or get out, etc. Each of those things happens because they are not fully integrated in a community. The brain then functions worse and worse. If there are people around, they can and do help reverse a spiral, or elevate a person enough to keep them from plummeting.

If YOU see what I’m saying here, and have your own experiences which corroborate this concept of the importance of “Connection” to mental health (which plays out statistically), then please join me at http://TheBluePrintForLife.com It is my mission (Purpose) to help bring the wholesome lifestyle of the world’s Longevity Hot Spots to the United States. I could use your help. The BluePrint for Life includes: Nutrition, Movement, Relaxation, Connection & Purpose. Thank you!!!