Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock (2005)
BURNING MAN: BEYOND BLACK ROCK goes behind the scenes of a social revolution to explore the philosophy that fuels it, the social contract that drives it, and the transcendent experience that makes it a worldwide cultural force. Granted unprecedented access to the inner workings of the Burning Man organization, the filmmakers spent 18 months with the founders, organizers, artists and participants to document the full complexity and diversity of the Burning Man community. But, true to its title, the film goes beyond the city they raise in the desert - revealing the Burning Man's plans to bring its unique culture to the rest of the world. BEYOND BLACK ROCK tells, for the first time ever, the real story of Burning Man - from the inside out.
Watch Trailer
Cast
Similar titles
Reviews
This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.
I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
"Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock" encourages audiences to take a look beyond the stereotypes you might know about the Burning Man Festival, grasping the social structures, the art and the messages that go along with the meeting of about 35,000 in the Nevada desert.Through a lot of footage from the camp, the documentary manages to catch quite an intimate image of the feeling, that leads many people to leave behind their usual lives and enjoy the freedom of Burning Man. Through interviews with the organizers as well as some volunteers, you also get a picture of the dimension, the infrastructure of the event has taken lately. I think that this is a good film to understand some of the spirit that is connected to the gathering. Personally, I would have also loved to hear some critical voices, maybe from people who live there and dislike the festival or from guests that didn't like their time, not because I want to set Burning Man in bad light, but because it would have helped to also understand how some people might have no place in such a new social order. Of course the movie cannot include more recent phenomenons such as commercialization or the splitting into different groups with kind of an elite-thinking.All in all I really enjoyed to learn more about a festival that is most often just briefly touched by the mass media. For everyone that wants to dive into the atmosphere of the Black Rock Desert, this is a documentary worth watching.
I cannot say enough about the job these filmmakers did and the monumental task they took on in making this film. First, Burning Man is a topic that has been incredibly marginalized by the media to the point of becoming a recurring joke in The Simpsons (although the director of the Simpsons is at Burning Man every year), and second, to those who DO know about it, its such a sensitive topic and so hard to deliver something that will please the core group.Well, these guys did it, and in style I must say. This doc is witty, fast moving, and most importantly profoundly informational and moving without seeming too close to the material.I simply cannot believe this is a first film for Damon Brown. We can expect great things from him in the years to come, I'm sure!
I had a chance to see Beyond Black Rock at a screening a few weeks ago and I was inspired by its honesty. Burning Man is a complicated and dense topic to try to compress into 2 hours of film. The makers of this film clearly had a passion for the topic when they were producing this movie. The people in front of the camera are interesting and openly share their Burning Man experiences.For those who have attended Burning Man. This movie brings back warm memories and shows a side of BM that many of us never see. If you have not ever had the fortune of attending a Burning Man festival this is a wonderful snapshot of the experience.
Of course, there isn't a focus on all the freakish wonderment that is Burning Man...that's not the point of the film. It never really was... or could *ever* do it justice if it chose to sample the art/culture/awesomeness and insanity, as one would speculate at the event. That's not how it is done at Burning Man.Its about the infrastructure, and the effort, and the rest of the very difficult things that go on behind the scenes. And though not exclusively fun...(as a fox newscast might cover the event) its definitely fun to watch... I enjoyed it very much and I look forward to watching it again. Especially since i saw it before going... it will be interesting to see it again after going.