Gifting It

Fans of alternative economic and social paradigms may be drawn to this documentary on the annual Burning Man festival that--unlike many treatments--goes beyond what one veteran participant calls the "naked bodies, drugs, and craziness" to consider the gift economy that sustains Black Rock City, NV, the temporary desert setting rebuilt every year. Filmmaker Renea Roberts' Gifting It interweaves footage of the eccentric structures and participants found at Burning Man together with a persistent rap on the benefits of alternative lifestyles and the gift economy. And just what is a gift economy? Although details vary, the gift economy is first and foremost not concerned with filthy lucre; nor is it based on collectivism or quid pro quo. Rather, the system places emphasis on the goodness of giving rather than the necessity of receiving--and it seems to work pretty well in this context (though how it might work in larger society remains in question). As a visual document of Burning Man, the film contains far less nudity and onscreen drug use than normally filmed, and pays more than fleeting attention to the cultural and spiritual reasons that participants attend. As a socioeconomic polemic, however, it's more diverting than transporting. Optional. Aud: C, P. (M. Tribby)