Ile Aiye (The House of Life)

Taking Heads frontman/solo artist David Byrne's 1989 Ile Aiye is an impressionistic documentary on Candomblé, a Brazilian spirit religion with African roots that flourishes in the Bahia region. Adopting the costumes and personas of various Orixás--deities who "serve as intermediaries between mortals and the supreme forces of nature"--adherents go into trancelike dance states during religious ceremonies that seem to be as much about the secular (food, drink, conversation, Carnival-like dress-up, and boogie-down dancing) as the sacred (a heady inclusive mix of animist, voodoo, and Catholic religious influences). Mixing footage of secular bands playing songs influenced by Candomblé, ceremonial spirit dances, various rituals (not all were allowed to be filmed), snippets of daily life, and somewhat artsy picture-in-picture (á la Peter Greenaway) vintage film clips, Ile Aiye suffers from minimalist narration (on the DVD's commentary track, as well as in an accompanying booklet, Byrne offers a bit more background and insight) and a lack of discernible structure that is liable to frustrate more than a few viewers. At its best, however, Byrne's film does provide an engaging audiovisual record of some of the more beautiful and colorful aspects of the Candomblé religion. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)