Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock

I am a long time attendee of Burning Man, and I've seen my fair share of films about it, because I find the subject matter so fascinating and so hard to capture. Let me just say that while no film can truly capture what it's like to be there, this film does far and away a better job of relating what the event and related subculture are truly about than any of the other pieces I've seen.

Damon Brown is listed as the director and the editor, which I would normally think is suicide for a feature of any kind, but he really did a bang up job of keeping the story moving along. A 105 minute documentary isn't exactly inviting to a lot of people, but this one flew by and left me wanting for more.

The depiction of the Burning Man organization was pretty great, if maybe a little too friendly at times. I have a lot of friends who would take these guys to task given the opportunity, but I think it was wise of the filmmakers to not focus on the inside baseball drama in the community, since your average watcher (or attendee) simply wouldn't notice or care.

I wish it were in HD... that's my only complaint. Kudos!

The Burning Man festival happens in late August of each year on the scorched playa of the western U.S.A. Over 30,000 revelers congregate to the temporary city of Black Rock, Nevada. This documentary leads us on a 365 day, behind the scenes, countdown to the burning of the man. "Beyond Black Rock" has intimate interviews with many of the keys involved, including the founder of Burning Man. The movie is an insiders view of this eccentric carnival of pyros, performers and artists. Sometimes, the films chronological structure competes with the implied spontaneity of the actual event but the 'burning man' wins in the end. We are left with the ashes everyone's spectacular efforts and a desire to return again the next year.

I believe the filmmakers started with the best intentions, trying to show the people behind the event, and depict them as the regular people that surrounds us in our everyday life.

The movie could be an honest picture about the organizers, but I just noticed that the associative producer is one of the senior staff member of the Burning Man organization.

It feels they got overwhelmed by too much footage, and wanted to stuff it all in less than 2 hours. Their original cut was 3 hours long. The results is hard to watch. The beginning is a series of clips you don't have time to see. The eye is not able to see the first 3 frames of a new clip, and in that beginning section each clip must be about 1/2 to a 1 second long.

After those beginning clips, with which you haven't even had time to sit down and let your mind be immersed into the subject of the film, you jump right into an artist studio in new-york, and then some of the well-known organizers tell you how deep of an experience Burning Man is. I was ready to believe it, but I haven't seen anything yet, that we're already jumping to conclusions...

The film goes on like this, from one clip to another. There isn't a strong feel that there's a story or a structure behind the movie. It is quite disconcerting. The interviews go from one truth to another. The editor tries to touch you with very voyeuristic moments of David Best, to show you how amazing this man is. It feels very cheesy, even if I, as a person know pretty well what the temple means, what the dedication of the team that builds it is.

I can't imagine how much a viewer who is unfamiliar with the event and the culture that surrounds it will get a good "feel" of why Burning Man is so popular. It is missing the exact point that I believe the filmmakers have tried to convey: Burning Man is quite mind-blowing the first time you go there, and only well filmed visuals might give a sense of this, AND there really are small communities that have grown out of it. These point are touched very shallowly, and technical aspects such as how big the playa is, how many men it takes to build the infrastructure of the event, etc.. are too often brought up at the expense of the human story behind Burning Man.

To respond to other comments posted. The intention of the filmmakers were to give a "feel" of what Burning Man is, as it was stated by the producer during a showing in San Francisco. People who go to Burning Man have extended knowledge about the event, and will understand quickly what every reference made in the movie is about. They will be able to make the connections between clips.

My comments are more a critic on the contents of the documentary itself. But if you are a Burning Man attendee, you might enjoy this movie, just like you could enjoy a home movie that your friends have made about the event, as it brings you back good memories. As a cinematic experience, I'm still waiting for a true documentary about Burning Man.

I had a chance to see Beyond Black Rock at a screening a few weeks ago and I was inspired by its honesty.

Burning Man is a complicated and dense topic to try to compress into 2 hours of film. The makers of this film clearly had a passion for the topic when they were producing this movie. The people in front of the camera are interesting and openly share their Burning Man experiences.

For those who have attended Burning Man. This movie brings back warm memories and shows a side of BM that many of us never see.

If you have not ever had the fortune of attending a Burning Man festival this is a wonderful snapshot of the experience.

Burning Man has been a counter culture hub and talking point for going on a decade. In this documentary, the filmmakers attempt to breakdown and showcase what this festival, which some commentators in the film call a "proto-apocalpytic, hippy neo-pagon, freakfest," is all about. And with a claim like that, one can't help but wonder what "Burning Man" really IS all about.

But the film goes to great lengths to showcase the people and events that have made the festival what it is over the last 10 or so years. Often spoken about as a spiritual journey, the festival seems like an event that this documentary invites you to understand, but more often than not, your curiosity invites you to explore. Though the documentary does a great job of depicting what Burning Man is, ultimately it leaves you with a yearning to experience the festival for yourself once the credits roll.