Amanda, played by Marlee Matlin,
is a self-hating, cynical photographer whose life is riddled with pain, struggle and disappointment in love. Photo courtesy of Lord of the Wind Films
Amanda, played by Marlee Matlin,
is a self-hating, cynical photographer whose life is riddled with pain, struggle and disappointment in love. Photo courtesy of Lord of the Wind Films
“You create your own reality.” We’ve been sold the message for years by teachers from Deepak Chopra to Anthony Robbins. But get real — isn’t it just New Age pap for an overindulged Baby Boomer population determined to outrun their own mortality? Not at all, says author and physicist Fred Alan Wolf. It’s pure verifiable science — quantum physics, the science that recognizes the spiritual dimension underlying all reality, the science that says we have a direct impact on the reality we experience.
“Quantum physics runs our world,” explains Wolf. The term “quantum” was coined by Max Ernst Planck who studied light at the turn of the 20th century. “Quantum,” meaning “single unit,” is derived from the Latin word “quanta,” which means “whole amounts of something.” Planck was the first to discover the “quantum effect” that Albert Einstein built upon in 1905, revolutionizing physics with the “photo electric effect” and winning the Nobel Prize. “We wouldn’t have the telephones, computers, the DVD or film technology without it,” Wolf explains.
OK, but what does this have to do with our spiritual paths and the lives we are living? According to a new film, What The #$*! Do We Know?, opening September 10 at Loews Esquire — everything.
The brainchild of William Arnzt and the product of an intensely inventive collaboration between writer-producer-directors Arntz, Betsy Chasse and Mark Vicente, What The #$*! Do We Know? is an irresistible cosmic romp that suggests that quantum physics is the biggest reality show in town, and that we are the co-wizards behind the curtains of our own lives, making them a heaven or a hell.
“We had no idea how to make this information entertaining,” remarks Chasse.
“When Betsy came into the picture,” adds Arntz, “she took one look at our script and said, ‘If you have a host, you have a Discovery Channel documentary.’ I wanted the film to be theatrical and to be seen by millions.”
But it couldn’t be a purely feature film, such as The Matrix, either, says Vicente. “It would have been relegated to pure fantasy, and we wanted the respectability of science.” So the hybrid of live action drama, animation and documentary was born.
When the film opens, Amanda, played by Marlee Matlin, is a self-hating, cynical photographer whose life is riddled with pain, struggle and disappointment in love. “Amanda became an every-person, an amalgam of all of us. Our central question was: ‘How do we go from being a victim to not being one?’” says Chasse.
How indeed? By rewiring our neural nets, responds Dr. Joe Dispenza, a chiropractor and author. Dispenza’s concept is an intoxicating and seductive one because it invites our direct participation. The neural net is the neurological network of emotional associations that generates the reality we create. Dispenza says that, like heroin addicts, we are addicted to our emotions, and it’s not just psychological, it’s biochemical. “We bring to ourselves situations and people that fulfill our chemical needs,” elaborates Dispenza. We are creators of our own reality — gods, if you will — and the more we step out of the trance of the past, interrupt the old programming, the more we get to create the lives we really want.
“If people could get away from the big opium box that is TV and experiment with this information, they would be amazed,” says Vicente.
Chasse used the information to manifest her beloved mate. Prior to doing this film, she says, “My love life was disastrous. I didn’t understand I had any power. Once I understood, I would get up every morning and set a clear intent to bring into my life what I wanted.” It worked.
Nevertheless, Vicente cautions us to remember that taking 100 percent personal responsibility is key. “It’s impossible to say ‘I created this,’ but this awful reality over here, some other asshole created it!” Vicente laughs. What has applying the information done for him? “I’m far less controlling. I have more fun and more joy. And I love the unknown now. I realize the unknown is where everything I want is.”
The film is astonishing audiences and creating a “tremendous excitement akin to falling in love,” beams Vicente. With concepts about the nature of reality and spirituality backed by leading-edge science as startling as these, do the filmmakers believe the film will successfully penetrate the mainstream? You bet. It has already shattered the limited vision of many a theater distributor who “didn’t want to give the film a booking because they didn’t think the audience for it existed,” says Arntz gleefully.
During its first nine weeks, 46,000 people lined up around the block to view the film. In Oregon and Arizona, theaters sold out and hundreds of people on any given night have been turned away only to return the following night to see it. Many people see the film three or four times.
The filmmakers are thrilled at the reception greeting their film. “’Go make known the unknown,’ is God’s only mandate for us,” says Vicente.
In quantum physics terms, that’s just another way of saying, “Go have a blast!”
Christiane Schull has successfully rewired her neural net and is having a blast all over town.
What The #$*! Do We Know? opens to the public September 10 at Loews Esquire, 58 East Oak Street, Chicago. For showtimes & tickets: www.fandango.com