Let's get metaphysical

The directors of "What the Bleep Do We Know?!," a film exploring the intersection of quantum physics and spirituality, explain how they've used word of mouth to turn box-office logic on its head.

By Harriette Yahr

Sept. 9, 2004 | The intersection of quantum physics and spirituality might seem an unlikely subject for a feature film with any chance of commercial success. But there's nothing usual about "What the Bleep Do We Know?!" The word-of-mouth sensation that kicked off in a small town in Washington state was recently scooped up by Samuel Goldwyn and Roadside Attractions, the distribution team behind "Super Size Me," who will take it to 100 screens nationwide Sept. 10, with more to follow.

"What the Bleep" mixes elements of documentary, drama and comedy -- as well as animation and live action -- and features Academy Award-winner Marlee Matlin, a dozen scientists in various fields, and a slew of wacky animated characters. Its aim: to show audiences what they're made of and to introduce them to their untapped potential.

The film's unconventional structure makes it a bit difficult to describe. In a recent review, the San Diego Union-Tribune called it an "advocacy film" like "The Passion of the Christ" and "Fahrenheit 9/11," but explained that "instead of promoting Jesus Christ as our sadistically tormented savior, or the almost equally grim (but far funnier) crucifixion of George W. Bush by Michael Moore, it seems to advocate a complex overhaul of our lives through a sort of Taoist quantum/holistic knowledge of brain functions."

The San Francisco Examiner put it this way: "Blending science with science fiction, the film prods viewers to ponder what seems on the surface to be a simple, straightforward question -- what is real? And conversely, what is unreal? And how do we know the difference? ... But in the process of exploring 'the answer,' the film reveals the seemingly endless complexity of the question."

"What the Bleep" explores some familiar ideas: Reality is not what it seems; perception is everything; you have the power to change your life. Authors like Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra and Anthony Robbins have spun similar concepts into bestselling gold. It was only a matter of time before the film world caught on. The three directors at the helm of "What the Bleep," William Arntz, Betsy Chasse and Mark Vicente, financed the film themselves -- to the tune of $5 million -- and have employed a grass-roots marketing strategy that appears to be paying off with remarkably high per-screen revenue.

(Editor's note: Arntz, Chasse and Vincente are all students of the Ramtha School of Enlightenment, a controversial school named after a 35,000-year-old warrior spirit a woman named JZ Knight claims to channel. Ramtha, via Knight, appears in the film. The directors insist that Ramtha had nothing to do with the funding of the film or its marketing.)

Only time will tell if "What the Bleep" can reach beyond its initial success and connect with mainstream America. I tele-conferenced with Arntz and Vicente last week to talk about the film.

You know, I've never used this conference-call system we're on, and it makes me think about the difference between an evolution of technology and a revolution of thought, which I think your film is getting at. You seem to be talking about a paradigm shift in the way things happen on a fundamental level, or the way we see ourselves in relationship to the world.

William Arntz: That's exactly what we're talking about. It is a paradigm shift. We're giving people a whole different worldview. It's as different as "The world is flat" or "The world is round." We're still coming out of the era where the earth is thought of as the center of the universe. And even though everyone kind of knows that physically that's not true, that idea is still lingering, especially in religious traditions, where if you don't do it our way, you're gonna fry in hell forever.

So what exactly is that different worldview?

Next page: Did we elect George W. Bush president because we need to play the victim?