Cinema’Sonhar is a way to access the unconscious, ‘says Marcelo Gomes, director of mind creatures

Creatures of the Mindthe director’s new feature MARCELO GOMES (I’m saving myself when Carnival arrives), promises to provoke deep reflections on the role of dreams in the construction of new forms of existence and in the rescue of traditions have long neglected.

The documentary follows the journey of the Brazilian neuroscientist Sidarta Ribeiro To better understand the universe of dreams and the unconscious from the relationship of scientific knowledge and ancestral knowledge of original peoples and African descent cultures, transcending the traditional Eurocentrism of the academy.

In partnership with Rolling Stone Brazilthe Cinebuzz talked to MARCELO GOMES and Sidarta Ribeiro Regarding the news, which hits Brazilian theaters from this Thursday, May 8, with distribution of Bretz Filmes.

Director is also a character

In Creatures of the Mindthe director MARCELO GOMES It is also an effective character, who has doubts and questions. When asked if this is his most personal project, the Pernambuco stated:

Look, I think all my cinema is very personal, very affective. Come from the heart, come from the soul. And this is no different. I could never make a classic, scientific documentary. It was impossible for me.“

Developed in partnership with Letícia Simões and the support of João Moreira Salles, Creatures of the Mindhad its starting point when MARCELO GOMES read an article from Piauí magazine in which Siddish I talked about the carnival of Olinda. “He touched my soul. All my movies have carnival. Carnival has a very strong relationship with me, which I am Pernambuco.”

Marcelo also revealed that collaboration with Sidarta Ribeiro It was fundamental to find a bridge between cinema and science. “He was very important because I wanted to access the knowledge he was giving me. Sometimes they were complex scientific knowledge for me, that I am a layman.”

“One day I showed a short of mine to him [Sidarta], Maracatu, Maracatus [de 1995]and he said, ‘Look, this is the creatureism of the mind.’ And from that, I understood that the documentary [Criaturas da Mente] It had to be a dialogue between my cinema and the science he exercised ”he revealed, showing the importance of synergy between them.

Throughout production, the film began to incorporate multiple voices and knowledge, going from science to Afro-industry traditions. “What we wanted was to expand this knowledge. Not only the scientific, but that of the mother Bethfrom Krenakfrom the mother Lou – Knowledge that has a value as important as the Siddish. Ancestral knowledge that is part of our Brazilian culture.”

The result, according to Marceloit was a great trip led by Siddishthis Brazilian soul scientist, which leads the public to capoeira and deep elements of national culture.

THE Orson Welles said: in fiction, the director is God. In the documentary, God It is the director. Chance happens all the time. THE Siddish instigated the whole team – me, the Ivo Lopes [fotografia]a Leticia. He was not an advisor, he was a consciousness instigator.”

Siddhartis and “Bad Trip”

Questioned about his relationship with psychedelia, Siddish shared a striking experience. “My first contact was in 1993. I was 22 years old and was in depression, my only depressive episode. My brother led me to the chapada of the Veadeiros to take mushroom. I had a scientific arrogance and thought nothing was going to happen. I took a macrodose, had a classic Bad trip … But the next day it was one of the most beautiful days of my adult life.”

For him, the experience was transformative, both personal and professionally. “It was very powerful. Showed me the therapeutic capacity of these substances. After that, I continued with a masters, doctorate, and that was with me. Today I have been research with psychedelics for a long time. First as a subject, then as a neuroscientist.”

The experience with Ayahuasca

In the documentary, Marcelo He has an experience with Ayahuasca, and commented on her with us: “THE Siddish He did the experience and shared with us. It was very strong. He was no longer the scientist and became the individual. Then my time arrived.”

“I talked to a psychologist for a week, went to a center with people from an Indigenous Village of Acre. It was all very organized. I was seeking to open doors of my unconscious – something fundamental to me as a character”He confessed.

Why the fear of dreaming?

One of the most striking scenes of the documentary shows Marcelo Talking to your mother about dreams. She says she doesn’t like to dream – and the conversation deepens. Siddish told us about this fear of dreaming that some people have:

I think a lot of people see sleep as a waste of time. But it also has the most delicate side: in dreams, we are confronted with things we don’t want to see. Things we think don’t even exist, but there they are, with undeniable strength. ”

Marcelo He also spoke about the person he knows so well: “In the case of my mother, I think there are things she doesn’t like to see. She is very intuitive, very creative, doesn’t even know how much. But dreams weaken it. She dreams a lot, sometimes says she hasn’t even slept and is already dreaming. I understand this as a difficulty in relating to the unconscious.”

Learning during the process

Marcelo It puts itself in the movie as a character – someone who represents the audience, learning together. When asked what he learned most, he stated:

“It was a self -knowledge trip. I learned that our mind is like an iceberg – the tip is the conscious, and the unconscious is the submerged immensity. This movie made me reflect on the act of dreaming, as a way to access the unconscious. Today I write about my dreams, I talk to people about them. This dialogue with the unconscious is stimulating to live better.”

He also cites a remarkable speech of the environmentalist and philosopher Ailton Krenak: “THE Krenak He told me something wonderful: ‘It’s not to understand certain things. It’s to experience ‘. Experience brings the understanding of life.”

Siddish agreed, highlighting the team’s tune: “THE Marcelo spoke of Leticia and from Ivotwo essential people. It had a very strong chemistry with the team. We know amazing people as a mother Bethmother Luand the Krenakwho was willing to record with us. There was a very strong exchange.”

Finally, Siddish recalling a special moment of filming: “There was something very crazy with the Ivo and the Marcelo In the filming of Parangolé, in the dune. There was a trance there. I think it was a process of liberation for everyone. A gain of consciousness. And I’ll tell you: I didn’t know what cinema was so crazy – as complex as science!”He joked.

Read the original article in: ‘Dreaming is a way to access the unconscious’says Marcelo Gomes, director of Creatures of the Mind

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