Film review: Scared Sacred

international | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday February 16, 2005 18:02 by Leo

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WITHOUT the context of the film it sounds twee, but Scared Sacred is about recognising suffering and acknowledging it. About breathing in suffering and breathing out compassion. About the evil in the world and in ourselves, about using suffering to empathise with others.

Beautifully photographed and filmed, the film features incredible people like the bereaved parents association in Israel and Palestine. "If we who have suffered the worst can learn to talk, then anyone can," one mother said. Members of RAWA, an independent organization of Afghan women fighting for human rights and for social justice in Afghanistan, also speak.

It’s about the exact opposite to our appalling consumerism and superficiality...about people only counting if they are in the production line or the consumer line and everyone else being expendable...about the rights of these expendable people to live.

A lot about Buddhism and meditation, evocative music, colours. On the journey made for this film, filmmaker Velcrow Ripper stopped off at a number of retreats (of all religions) to write and to make sure that he was not just being a tragedy tourist, to make sure he continued to feel on his journey.

Canada-born Ripper was in Dublin last night for a Q&A session after the screening. A man from Belfast spoke, telling the audience that for the first time in his life he didn't feel hatred towards the English. He called the feeling "surreal".


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Showing tonight in Cork:
Kino Arthouse Cinema, Cork.
(Phone 021 427 1571) Director in attendance.

Showing April 10 in Belfast:
Belfast Film Festival (Phone 028 9032 5917)

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HyperLinks:

Film website: http://www.scaredsacred.org/

Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) http://www.rawa.org/