Shugendō Now is a documentary that walks the line between illustrating transcendent spiritual practice and the everyday “world of desires and illusions.” It is clear from the very beginning that nature holds a prominent role in the film. The film …
Reviews
This provocative and rather unconventional film opens up a fascinating corner of Japanese religious practice to a general audience. A well executed documentary, Shugendō Now includes compelling footage and avoids heavy-handed voice-overs, presenting viewers with conceptual juxtapositions that should provoke …
As the title of this documentary suggests, Shugendō Now examines the state of Shugendō practice today as practiced by both professional practitioners, known as yamabushi, and ordinary Japanese people. The film begins by explaining that Yamabushi are those who enter …
Shugendô Now is one of several recent documentaries on Shugendô including Kitamura Minao’s Shugen Hagurosan aki no mine (2005) and Sandra and Carina Roth’s Where mountains fly (2010). While each of these documentaries has its merits, Shugendô Now is the …
Shugendô Now: Film about a quiet peak experience
So what does a mountain in rural Japan have to do with us?
That’s the question Montreal filmmakers Mark Patrick McGuire and Jean-Marc Abela try to answer in their documentary, “Shugendô Now,” …