The “wake up” in this nonfiction account happens to Jonas Elrod, who opened his eyes one day in a San Francisco hotel room and realized that he could see otherworldly phenomena—spirits, demons, angels, and auras. Shortly thereafter, his best buddy dies, and the two events send Elrod and his skeptical but loving girlfriend Mara on a journey across the nation and beyond, seeking help, enlightenment, and scientific validation. In this documentary directed by Elrod and Chloe Crespi, we see him visiting: the minister of the church in the small town in Georgia where he grew up; a man in Rome who takes pictures of spirits; various experts in the science of the paranormal; an acupuncturist; a Sufi healer; Buddhist roshi Joan Halifax; and Ramtha channeler JZ Knight, before reaching the climactic scene of a lengthy Native American vision quest in the woods of Washington state. Although several of the interviewees talk about a coming change in global consciousness concerning the nature of other dimensions, Wake Up primarily tells an intensely personal story—one that unfortunately fails to convey much about what it is Elrod says he can see but the rest of us cannot. Optional. Aud: C, P. (F. Gardner)
Wake Up
(2010) 97 min. DVD: $19.95. Beyond Words (dist. by Beyond Distribution). Volume 26, Issue 2
Wake Up
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