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Modern Tribalism Directed by Mimi George and Rick Kent, 2001 Unrated, 76 minutes Low-Fi Filmworks Brent Payton 03-18-03 Discuss this film in the InkBrothers Tattoo Forum.

This is the first film I've reviewed. I've read many reviews over the years and I love to write and watch movies so I was excited to do this. The review process doesn't seem difficult when you're looking at the finished product but when I started I found myself a little confused about what to do. Instead of trying to educate myself on the proper procedure (if there is one) I just sat down with my trusty remote control, a pen, and some paper and watched the film.

The first chapter in Modern Tribalism deals with modern tattoo, piercing, and body modification and the significance of body art as a revival of ancient rituals that were discarded by western society long ago. The significance of body art as a rite of passage is the primary focus of this first section. Next is a look at Burning Man and the people behind the festival from sort of a modern-day anthropological viewpoint. The attempt of the modern-day tribal movement to recapture ceremonies, sensations, and connections that have been subverted and lost to history due to socializing forces in the modern western world is well-illustrated in this segment through footage of Burning Man and interviews with two of the founding members of the festival. Finally, we see a tribal ritual in the city of Santa Fe New Mexico, organized by the Kiwanis Club no less, in which an enormous effigy is burned.

The opening words of the film are "Well, fire is the original magic." As the surreal close-ups of flames licking at the night sky continued with other relevant quotes from the film, I had an idea that this might be what a pyromaniac's wet dream is like. Miraculously, I was able to leave the matches in the kitchen and my cat was able to survive the screening un-singed.

As the bonfire footage and voice overs continued, I was glad I was able to view this film at home rather than at the theater because I found myself hitting pause and then rewinding several times in order to copy down quotes from the interviews. The subject of fire is revisited many times throughout the film, it's the basis for discussions of tribal ceremonies and it plays a big role in the middle chapter, which has the Burning Man festival as its subject.

As the opening scene faded, I was met with footage of Denver tattoo artist "Big Mike" of Twisted Sol tattoos going about the routine of opening his shop for the day. Mike introduces himself by saying that getting a tattoo is "A chance to put a little bit of your insides on your outside." He continues with an equally profound musing that, "There are a group of people who get tattooed or pierced because physical pain is easier to understand than emotional pain."

Next is footage of Big Mike and a co-worker at their trade. The film makers show several interviews with clients during and after the tattoo process. The tattoo shop footage is broken up with scenes from an interview with Malidoma Somé, a modern shaman and author of several books on modern tribal rituals. Somé speaks very profoundly of the power of tribal ritual in modern society:

Teens want to experience something radical that's going to turn them into a viable adult. So the tattoos have become the initiator. In order for it to be complete, it will require a community to recognize and witness the initiation of the person. When there's no community, the whole process gets restarted – initiation that never ends. Without initiation, a culture runs the risk of self-combusting.

This discussion of tattoos flows nicely into a segment on body piercing and the different functions it provides to members of modern tribes. Our guide on this journey is Fakir Musafar, an American who claims to be the third incarnation of an ancient Sufi mystic by the same name. Musafar's experiences with piercing and body modification began in his early adulthood. The film makers were able to obtain old black and white and grainy color footage of Musafar's early piercing rituals. Musafar explains his take on modern tribal piercing practices very simply: "There are some things that you can't do without some blood, a mark, and pain."

"There are some things that you can't do without some blood, a mark, and pain."

Next, the piercing segment treats the viewer to highlights from a 5-day piercing seminar held by Musafar in order to train experienced piercers as shamen. Special techniques and what appear to be full-fledged rituals are taught. One part of this seminar is an ancient Hindu cheek-piercing ceremony. The Fakir pierces each student and then a student pierces him. The participants dance in a trance like state of altered consciousness with small ceremonial metal spears piercing their cheeks. I have seen footage of this ceremony being performed in India and I believe it honors a specific Hindu God.

Musafar offers these words during a voice over of suspensions being performed outdoors, presumably during Burning Man: "The body is not you, you just live in it. You are given this as a sort-of, like the box the present comes in." He goes on to explain that the modern phenomenon of piercing suspensions has been documented in many ancient cultures including those of American Indian tribes.

Wrapping up the seminar is a ceremony where a young man recieves a guiche piercing. The process shown here is noteworthy in that there are several people involved other than the client and piercer. Several people are seen chanting, one person plays a didgeridoo, Musafar chimes a ceremonial bowl, and another person holds the client's hands. The piercing process still hurts and the client even lets out an agonizing groan when the piercing needle is inserted. Pain is a vital part of the process, as Musafar explains. The ceremony doesn't dull the pain, it endows it with deeper meaning. The act of being pierced has been elevated to that of a ceremony, a sacred ritual, even a cleansing or healing process.

The last chapter of the film explores a phenomenon I had never heard of, the annual burning of a hideous effigy named Zozobra in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Zozobra and the Burning Man represent different primal forces even though both are consumed by flame in an elaborate ritual. Zozobra's ghoulish, menacing face is an embodiment of evil, he's an ancient bogeyman. Destruction of this effigy is a symbolic defeat of demonic forces in the lives of those who participate in the ritual. This is in contrast to the final night of Burning Man where a figure is burned in an orgiastic ritual of catharsis and celebration.

Overall, I enjoyed Modern Tribalism and I feel it's a well produced and informative work. The film was shot entirely on Mini DV and edited at home using cutting-edge digital editing technology. The sharpness of the images and clarity of the audio comes across very well on DVD. The soundtrack is sublimely appropriate for the content and might even stand on it's own as a separate release.

Special features on the DVD include interviews and other scenes that didn't make the final cut but which make for interesting viewing on their own. The "extras" include a history of Burning Man as told by one of it's founders, a demonstration of male genital piercing, and a discourse on psychedelic drugs by author Tom Robbins.

Modern Tribalism boasts showings at a handful of film festivals all over the world but in Austin, one of the more pierced, tattooed, and pagan cities, this film hasn't shown up in any festivals or theaters. With a two year-old release date, it's not too late to pick this film up for inclusion in more festivals and with such good production quality it's primed and ready for theater engagements.