Whole Person Oct 2012
“The wise man who knows the truth should
not disturb the mind of him who does not.”
– The Bhagavad Gita
When I was invited to view Michael Perlin’s well-crafted documentary film, which asks the audience to chant en masse,
the magical 3-word mantra, I admit, I was skeptical for two reasons. First, because I believed the film would be very
polarizing and threatening to religious conservatives, and second, as a follower of “A Course in Miracles,” I have been
very comfortable believing I was a child of God in whom God is well pleased, but to say I am actually God himself, well,
wasn’t that blasphemous? As it turns out, the only blasphemy here is to sell ourselves short of the infinite power we possess.
In 3 Magic Words, different people are asked, “Who am I?” and through interviews with authors, vignettes of a gorgeous
young truth-seeker (Gabriella Ethereal), and visual art and motion graphics, we begin to piece together a feeling-realization
that we are the one life, the one truth, the one way, and only within our own minds can we solve the mystery of existence.
The film is imperfect: it suffers from a lack of technical prowess at certain points; the dramatic sequences with Ms. Ethereal
pull us out of the film’s narrative (mainly because she is a bit too sexy for the subject matter); and occasional speeches from
the film’s host (Cameron Smith) are static, dry, and without any visual cutaways, which led this viewer to become impatient.
Overall, however, the message is not damaged by these shortcomings. The dozens of interviews never seemed overwhelming
and broken into bite-sized chunks. The humorous quips of author Gary Renard bring a much-needed levity to the film, as
most of the speakers are more serious in tone. The musical score adds enchantment and mystery as the film builds to its central
message. The visual palette is often rich, and the authors, such as Kute Blackson and Neale Donald Walsch, appear as
specters, floating beings, in tropical landscapes. This device works well, and keeps us in a contemplative mood, preparing us to
know that we are Divine. All in all, the film, at a running time of 71 minutes, does keep us engaged, and offers hungry spiritual
viewers a feast of words and images upon which we can digest, and when the film finally arrives at its main point, we are prepped
and ready to own it. Some of the funniest moments in the film come when Perlin interviews people on the street, asking them if
they are okay with being God. Predictably, they are not ready for that responsibility. The film also hammers home the message
that once we take responsibility for the fact that we are creating our own personal suffering by inflicting pain upon others and our
environment (from which we are not separate), we can truly have the peace and joy that we all desire.
The movie also has the potential to convince people that we are not simply bodies, and bodies are
only a reflection of what we want to see. In truth we are limitless. This concept is one that may perturb the mind of one who
has yet to taste the divine, but those who are ready, will enjoy it immensely. Perlin and his producer Maura Hoffman,
plan to tour the film across the U.S. this fall and then in London this December. The film is also available on DVD and
streaming through their website. An ambitious effort like this, which took four years to produce, is not as easy to make as
it looks, as the film has dozens of authors interviewed, many locations, and many minutes of graphics and effects which
are time-consuming to create. If you have the financial means, I recommend funding filmmakers like Perlin to make
more projects with these messages.As for my skepticism as to the mass appeal of this film and its polarizing nature,
I’ve realized people are more prepared than I previously thought. As the Course in Miracles says, “A good teacher must
believe in the ideas he teaches, but he must meet another condition; he must believe in the students to whom he offers
the ideas.” Michael Perlin truly believes in us and trusts us with his message: We are God.Seekers (and finders) of truth
will be well pleased with this offering from Starseed Entertainment, while the majority of us movie lovers are still looking
for that seminal film that will merge art and enlightenment.Sean Mulvihill is a creator of “love-inspiring” entertainment
and president of Hollywood Happiness Studios www.hollywoodhappiness.com