A man in search of spirituality. That best sums up Jan Kounen. This quest, begun 10 years earlier, resulted in the production of several documentaries and a film, Blueberry, released in 2004. After his first highly controversial film, Dobermann, which he describes as “the expression of joyful anger,” Jan Kounen wished to “return to mystical perceptions experienced in adolescence,” but not deeply explored. He then left in 1995 to scout locations for Blueberry in Mexico and Peru. And discovers the shamanic culture of the Shipibo-Conibo Indians. He reflects on this experience: “I had the approach of a Westerner discovering Zen. But I quickly realized I was on the wrong track, that I had prejudices. So I went back several times, and I began a process of self-work.”
Other Realities
The Shamanic Indians use “the visionary plant,” which allows the patient, in a state of trance, to see things about himself that he had not suspected. “This practice allowed me to open up a new line of questioning. It gives clues for healing oneself, but one must then continue the work alone.” It is difficult to imagine what these perceptions experienced during a shamanic session can be. For Jan Kounen, “it’s as if you removed the flesh from your skin, and you saw what lies beneath.” The director actually tried in Blueberry to transcribe this practice in images. As a result, he made a documentary about the Shipibo-Conibo Indians, “Other Worlds,” and wrote a book titled “Visions: Perspectives on Shamanism.” The book, currently out of stock, will soon be available at Fnac.
Meeting with Amma
In parallel, the director came to present a documentary, “Darshan, the Embrace,” filmed in 2003 about a fascinating Indian woman. Known throughout the world for her “darshan” sessions, which consist of embracing people one by one, Amma conveys a message of peace and love that touched Jan Kounen and his producer, Manuel de la Roche, a former Tibetan monk. Through the latter, they obtained the agreement of this great lady to film her. The director explains the approach: “It was not about providing information about Amma. You can find that on the internet. She does not reveal herself in the film. She is a mystery, and I wanted her to remain one. On the other hand, I attempted to make the magic and madness of this woman palpable. It is a tale, the story of a little girl who wanted to embrace the world.” This extraordinary presence is indeed well rendered in the film. We do not witness miracles properly speaking, and yet… Embracing over 45,000 people for 20 hours is an achievement in itself. “She is a very great spiritual master,” explains Manuel de la Roche, “we perceive at our level the fluidity of emotions flowing through her. She gives herself entirely, does not control herself. We wanted to convey all of that in the film.” A successful gamble. Several scenes move the viewer, particularly the one during her famous Darshan, where Amma licks the wounds of a leper. A powerful message, since the holy woman also fights on the ground in India socially, to abolish castes or ordain women priests.
After these spiritual adventures, Jan Kounen turned to the living conditions of these peoples. He is to begin filming in June a short film in the Peruvian Amazon on the theme of maternal health. This short is part of a film called “8,” composed of eight stories about the objectives set by the United Nations to address social, economic, or health challenges. Jane Campion and Gaspar Noé, who are part of the project, should present their shorts at the next Cannes Film Festival. Jan Kounen will then return to pure fiction with the adaptation of Frédéric Beigbeder’s bestseller, 99 Francs. A completely different adventure.
More information at: www.jankounen.com
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