One man's journey to the other side of the world has him discovering himself and the game of Chinlone.
I had the pleasure of watching this documentary and I was blown away by what I saw. A game (much like hacky-sack) being played in Myanmar called Chinlone takes a skill that is way beyond what I can do. As I watched it I seemed to be more and more amazed by what these people can do with this ball; specifically the women, who do solo performances with the ball on fire, jumping through rope, standing on glass bottles that are on a chair. Sometimes all of this at once too, it's truly a sight to see.
Greg Hamilton, a Canadian, directs this film with the same passion that he has for Chinlone. I never knew of this game and I don't think anyone else I saw it with knew what it was either, but Hamilton drew us all in and, speaking for myself, got me interested in wanting to play. Hamilton, who traveled to Myanmar every time there was a tournament being played, spent two decades of his life learning how to play this so called sport. A sport in which there are no winners or losers, no competitiveness, only love for the game.
People who play soccer or hacky-sack would like this game, it takes everything to the next level. In which you must not only keep the ball up in the air, but create some insane tricks while doing it. Hamilton gives us one scene that showcases some moves you can do with the ball. The moves are beautiful and the music flows very well with this.
Most of the film is filmed in Myanmar, also known as Burma, and the countryside there is phenomenal. Beautiful sunsets, hot weather and on almost every corner isChinlone. These people are obsessed with this sport and Hamilton wishes to spread it across the world. Some amateur narration brings the film down a peg; Hamilton simply tells us exactly what we are seeing on the screen. It gets tiresome.
In a time when most documentaries are making us feel fear, sadness and depression (thank you Michael Moore) Mystic Ball shows us a transition in one man's life. He finds his spiritual self and brings us along for the ride. It's fun, entertaining and will amaze you with the feat these people do.
I had the pleasure of watching this documentary and I was blown away by what I saw. A game (much like hacky-sack) being played in Myanmar called Chinlone takes a skill that is way beyond what I can do. As I watched it I seemed to be more and more amazed by what these people can do with this ball; specifically the women, who do solo performances with the ball on fire, jumping through rope, standing on glass bottles that are on a chair. Sometimes all of this at once too, it's truly a sight to see.
Greg Hamilton, a Canadian, directs this film with the same passion that he has for Chinlone. I never knew of this game and I don't think anyone else I saw it with knew what it was either, but Hamilton drew us all in and, speaking for myself, got me interested in wanting to play. Hamilton, who traveled to Myanmar every time there was a tournament being played, spent two decades of his life learning how to play this so called sport. A sport in which there are no winners or losers, no competitiveness, only love for the game.
People who play soccer or hacky-sack would like this game, it takes everything to the next level. In which you must not only keep the ball up in the air, but create some insane tricks while doing it. Hamilton gives us one scene that showcases some moves you can do with the ball. The moves are beautiful and the music flows very well with this.
Most of the film is filmed in Myanmar, also known as Burma, and the countryside there is phenomenal. Beautiful sunsets, hot weather and on almost every corner isChinlone. These people are obsessed with this sport and Hamilton wishes to spread it across the world. Some amateur narration brings the film down a peg; Hamilton simply tells us exactly what we are seeing on the screen. It gets tiresome.
In a time when most documentaries are making us feel fear, sadness and depression (thank you Michael Moore) Mystic Ball shows us a transition in one man's life. He finds his spiritual self and brings us along for the ride. It's fun, entertaining and will amaze you with the feat these people do.
