Howard Schumann
Vancouver, B.C.
Date: 16 June 2003
Summary: Stimulating and uplifting
In a recent experiment, physicist Alain Aspect discovered that subatomic particles can remain in communication with each other regardless of the distance between them, violating Einstein's theory that no communication can travel faster than the speed of light. Some scientists believe that these particles remain in contact because their separateness is an illusion and that all matter is infinitely connected at a deeper level of reality. This organic approach to Systems Theory and the interconnectedness of all living things is the subject of the film Mindwalk by Bernt Capra. Based on the book The Turning Point by Fritjof Capra (The Tao of Physics), the film is a 90-minute conversation between a scientist, a politician, and a poet, each having taken a step back from their profession to ponder the direction of their life.
Set at the monastery of Mont St. Michel off the Normandy coast, the remoteness of the island provides a perfect background for reflection. Jack Edwards (Sam Waterston) is a US Senator and unsuccessful candidate for President. He has come to Mont St. Michel to meet with his friend and former speechwriter, poet Thomas Harrison (John Heard) to ask for help in his reelection bid. The two meet scientist Sonia Hoffman (Liv Ullman) who recently left her research job at a U.S. university protesting how her research was being used. Prodded by her daughter Kit (Ione Skye) to get out and meet people, she goes for a walk to the monastery and joins the others. Each character has a different outlook on life. Sonia strongly maintains that the mechanistic approach of Descartes is no longer relevant and should be replaced by a holistic system similar to that of Eastern mystics. Jack relates to concepts in terms of how they may appeal to voters. Thomas is a romantic who would rather dispense with both theoretical science and practical politics.
The three talk and talk some more on subjects ranging from the destruction of the Amazon rainforest to the world of atoms and electrons but it never becomes tiresome because each challenges the other to see the world from a different perspective. The interchange takes place on a personal level as well and the result is a deeper understanding of each other's life. Mindwalk will not appeal to those looking for a conventional narrative but I found it to be a highly stimulating and often humorous film that left me feeling uplifted. Now if people throughout the world with opposite points of view could simply walk and talk for a few hours together on an island retreat窶ｦoh well, one can dream--right?