Forest of Bliss + Luminous People

Forest of Bliss
Robert Gardner, 1986, 90 mins, DCP

preceded by:
Luminous People 
Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2007, 19 mins, DCP 

These innovative works of nonfiction offer astonishing visuals and a profound ability to capture the essence of place and people. Robert Gardner’s 1986 ethnographic masterpiece Forest of Bliss offers a poetic and meditative exploration of life and death in the Indian city of Benares (aka Varanasi), a sacred site for Hindus. The film highlights Gardner’s free-flowing, impressionistic style, which collides with ambient sounds and rhythmic music to create a sensorial experience about the nature of existence.

The film is preceded by Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s short Luminous People, which combines documentary footage and abstract imagery for a dreamlike, poetic meditation on the connections between humans, animals, and the environment. The film poetically explores our intimate connection to the natural world, and the ways in which traditional cultures have maintained this connection, even as modern societies have become increasingly detached from it. Luminous People has won several awards, including the Golden Lion at the 2015 Venice Biennale. 

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / free for MoMI members at the Senior/Student level and above. Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.