What the #$*! Do We (K)now!? (2004)

"WHAT THE #$*! DO WE KNOW?!" is a radical departure from convention. It demands a freedom of view and greatness of thought so far unknown, indeed, not even dreamed of since Copernicus. It's... See full summary »

Directors:

William Arntz, Betsy Chasse,

Writers:

William Arntz, Betsy Chasse,

Stars:

Marlee Matlin, Elaine Hendrix, John Ross Bowie

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marlee Matlin	...	Lead
Elaine Hendrix	...	Jennifer
John Ross Bowie	...	Elliot
Robert Bailey Jr.	...	Reggie
Barry Newman	...	Frank
Larry Brandenburg	...	Bruno
Daniela Serra	...	Bride
James Langston Drake	...	Groom (as Jame Drake)
Michele Mariana	...	Tour Guide (as Michelle Mariana)
Armin Shimerman	...	Older Man (in subway)
Robert Blanche	...	Bob
Pavel Mikoloski	...	Priest
Alex Rogers	...	Guy #1
Tin Tran	...	Guy #2
Leslie Taylor	...	Bridesmaid

Storyline

"WHAT THE #$*! DO WE KNOW?!" is a radical departure from convention. It demands a freedom of view and greatness of thought so far unknown, indeed, not even dreamed of since Copernicus. It's a documentary. It's a story. It's mind-blowing special effects. This film plunges you into a world where quantum uncertainty is demonstrated - where neurological processes, and perceptual shifts are engaged and lived by its protagonist - where everything is alive, and reality is changed by every thought.

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Plot Keywords:

radical | photographer | consciousness | science | scientist | 

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Taglines:

The question is, how far down the rabbit hole, do you wanna go?

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Genres:

Documentary | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Medula Films [France] Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

German English Spanish

Release Date:

27 November 2004 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Sacred Science

Filming Locations:

Golden Gate National Recreation Area, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$23,541 (Brazil) (9 December 2005)

Gross:

$76,391 (Brazil) (9 December 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Captured Light, Lord of the Wind

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

On the steps of the church Amanda was offended enough by the young men's crass comments that she flashed her camera in their faces. But she was not in position to read their lips.

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Quotes

Ramtha: What is reality?

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Crazy Credits

Special Thanks ALL THOSE WITH INQUIRING MINDS

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Connections

References Alice in Wonderland (1999)

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Soundtracks

"She's Too Fat"
Written by Ross Maclean and Jack Carter Richardson
Performed by Jimmy Sturr
Courtesy of Starr Record Company
By permission of Shapiro, Bernstein and Co.

User Reviews

Contradicts itself again and again.

It seems the makers of this film had trouble deciding what their message really was. Consequently, they had even more trouble delivering it. They began by poorly describing principles of quantum physics which relate to sub-atomic particles. Having established a fuzzy picture of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, they presented a barrage of talking heads who built a case of ridiculous logic intimating that every living person is an entity which follows the same quantum rules on a cosmic scale. Then there was a lot of talk about ideas upon which Stephen Covey and Tony Robbins have made their careers: positive thinking, interrupting bad patterns, always look on the bright side, etc. Next came a bit about how our brains can change our bodies through production of proteins: hormones which we more or less choose to create. If you are sad, you will create sad proteins. If you are happy, you will create happy proteins. It's just so simple, isn't it? Interwoven with our lessons we follow the fictitious life of Amanda, a photographer who pops anti-depressants and hates her thighs. The film makers slowly but surely were trying to get us all to say, "Hey, Amanda, just cheer up!" Why can't she cheer up? Obviously it's because the world is a BAD place where there is crime and poverty and religion, that's why. The conclusion of the film (which is basically the entire second half) brought on a barrage of contradiction. We are all a part of a whole energy where we are not beings, but a collective consciousness, but we are individuals who can change the world, but there are many of each of us because of all the different dimensions, but we can choose who we are, and we have a purpose to do good, but there is no god because there is nothing better than us, so there is no such thing as right and wrong, so there is no such thing as reward or punishment, so nothing good ever came out of religion, but we should still do good anyway, even though there is no such thing as bad and good because there is nobody to decide what that is, except for the fact that we each can make life good if we all meditate, and then crime will cease, and if we say nice things, our water will freeze into pretty shapes. Still with me? Good because there is more. According to Robert L. Park in his book "Voodoo Science", the whole meditation experiment put on by John Hagelin in Washington, D.C. was a farce, the numbers were doctored, and the murder rate was higher that year that any year before or since. And what about your positive attitude keeping you young and healthy? This was a message delivered by an older man who looked his age and a woman who was overweight.

So does all this work or not? I was lucky enough to see the film at a theater where Betsy Chasse, one of the film's three directors (yes, three) fielded questions following the show. I call myself lucky because I had first-hand confirmation that these people don't know what they are talking about. Several of the questions asked by audience members had her so stumped that her husband, a chiropractor, had to step in and recite the answer. I finally had to leave when the discussion inevitably turned political, and everyone, including Ms. Chasse, began speculating as to how wonderful the world would be if only President Bush could see this movie.