Act of God

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Is being hit by lightning a random natural occurrence or a predestined event? Accidents, fate, chance, and the elusive quest to make sense out of tragedy underpin director Jennifer Baichwal's (Manufactured Landscapes) captivating new work, an elegant cinematic meditation on the spiritual and metaphysical effects of being struck by lightning.
Using seven stories from around the world, Act Of God explores profound questions with the sky and its fiery output the central visual metaphor. Novelist Paul Auster, was caught in a deadly storm as a teenager, anchors the film, spriritualist Dannion Brinkley asks provocative questions, and improvisational musician Fred Frith demonstrates the harmony of electricity in our bodies and in the universe. Visually dazzling and aurally seductive, Act Of God captures the harsh beauty of the skies and the lives of those who have been forever touched by their fury.