DMT: The Spirit Molecule [HD]

Interesting but disjointed.
I own and love DMT: The Spirit Molecule (book) by Rick Strassman. It is a very professionally done treatise on the subject of psychedelics and DMT in particular. It is both rational but also very personal, and for the reader it is easy to discern when Strassman is talking about fact, and his feelings.

In this documentary, however, it is hard to get a sense of what in the world these people are talking about. Unlike the book, there is not a linear dialogue, an apparatus that is set up to help the viewer understand the thesis. It is really a bunch of clips of people talking, random animations of psychedelic art and other video clips, with little sense of structure. I got most of what people were saying because I have read the book and studied a lot of the content talked about, but even I got lost at points because there is no real narrative here to follow.

This documentary would have been much better served if it were A) Longer, to allow for B) a structure...

Much more than a drug documentary
When I heard that a DMT film was being made, my initial thought was that it would be yet another drugumentary. I was wrong. The film deep dives into questions of human consciousness, interviewing brilliant minds (and more PhDs than I could count.) There were interviews with a rabbi, artists Alex and Alison Grey, a tribal leader, scientists, and the leading researchers on DMT and ethnopharmacology, along with the accounts of study participants and the nurse who cared for them during the research studies. The perspectives from which the experiences are conveyed spark some deep questions about human consciousness and the human spirit, and when the film concluded, I was left with the feeling that there was much more to the human experience than I could ever imagine. The visual art and music are equally as awesome. Since the film was released, I have bought a few copies for friends who all shared the sentiment that they wanted to watch it again and share it with their friends.

Erudite and Cogent Documentary !
I read Dr. Strassmans book some years ago and loved it. I was so excited to hear they were going to make a film about it and now it is finally here ! The film is about as perfect as a films like this can be. Superb editing and in a tight package that is well under 90 minutes-about 73 minutes to be exact. The only part of this project that is disturbing to me is the obviousness of this substance and the almost complete disinterest by nearly everyone in western society but I don't blame the film for that for the most part. I do recommend reading the book though first. In the book there is a greater emphasis on the entities encountered by the volunteers and the similarities of these entities I find most fascinating. It makes perfect sense in the film to not emphasize that aspect of it for obvious reasons.

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