Enquête sur le monde invisible (2002) User Reviews

Excellent exploration of rational people who believe the irrational

[ChungMo · 7/10 · 24 January 2005]

I caught this because the title was interesting and I had spent a little time in Iceland.

The first compliment I have to pay to the film makers is how they let the people explain themselves without imposing their own judgment. Unlike the many documentaries about similar subjects that infest U.S. cable channels at the moment, this film is presented so that the viewer can make their own decisions about the people presented. When presenting such supernatural subjects, most documentaries take a side on the subject. These days every strange idea is presented as an astounding truth with any skeptical opinion either edited in a way to make the skeptic seem foolish or really in agreement with the documentary.

Here we have a large number of rational people who have felt that they have come in contact with supernatural entities, elves, sea serpents, aliens, ghosts and so forth. It's the Icelandic demeanor that helps us listen to the stories. Their generally calm way of expressing themselves allows the audience a chance to hear what they are saying and reflect on what these people believe they have experienced. It's also the fact that seeing and experiencing these entities is not considered as odd in Iceland as here in the US so the people can talk without being defensive.

Recommended to anyone interested in the supernatural, if you believe in it or not.

compelling documentary

[wednesdayskorner · 10/10 · 17 January 2005]

This film is probably one of the most captivating documentaries about a side of Iceland that everyone wants to understand better... It's showing this week on the Sundance Channel. Make sure you record it during one of the showings listed below. Watch it more than once. If the Supernatural is not your favorite subject matter, stick with the movie through the very end and you may change your mind. The version I watched twice in 2004 was 90 minutes long, so I am interested to see if I miss the 5 minutes they cut.

The filmmaker Jean Michel Roux made several trips to Iceland for this project to record the stories told by everyone he wanted to put in the movie. Then he had the footage in Icelandic written in French and then he returned to conduct interviews based on the stories the people told only having to translate the final interviews again into French for him to edit the film. He got the idea to do this film when he was doing location scouting for a fictional Sci-Fi film he was developing.

The soundtrack is equally moving featuring Hector Zazou, The Residents, Biosphere and Gorecki. This movie was so popular at the San Francisco Film Festival last year that they had to add two more screenings, totaling 4 screenings. If you want to know what the atmosphere is truly like, you have to visit Iceland, but if you just want to get about 85 minutes inside the remote country and meet its most fascinating residents, then you really must see this movie. Tell as many people you know who are even just remotely curious about Iceland or about the Supernatural.

Evidence of the Invisible

[jm-nemo · 10/10 · 1 October 2004]

Jean Michel Roux Documentary is giving you the chance to broad your vision about what reality of the world is. Each scene is like a painting, beautiful and intense. The music from Hector Zazou and Biosphere melt in the pictures and gives a real breath to a very creative ensemble. It shows you also that a documentary can be subjective in its form but scrupulously objective in his testimonies.

I always thought Bjork was an Elf, now I know about Elves cities are hidden in between the frames of our reality, like a 25th image...

This film gives you a strong sentiment of joy and respect, and also a strong feeling of humility toward our poor modern way of perception.

IMHO this is state of art film made by true Artist. A DVD to buy with Geoffrey Reggio trilogy !

Cheers

JM

Intriguing documentary, well crafted

[phil_garrett · 10/10 · 2 April 2005]

I happened upon this film being played on IFC, and was pleasantly surprised. I concur with another reviewer's compliment on how the filmmaker allows the subjects to explain themselves and their beliefs without making judgment. In the end, the documentary does not seem to take a position either way, rather it simply documents Icelanders who believe in the "invisible world" and it's invisible beings.

The people interviewed in the film seem entirely of sound mind and body, and, in any case, seem to believe what they are saying.

What I found most compelling about the film is the way director Jean-Michel Roux and his crew crafted the film. The combination of images of Iceland, the ambient score, and the composition and style of cinematography give the film an almost narrative feel. The subjects seem entirely believable, which when combined with the style, makes this film so intriguing.

Investigations into the Invisible World is a documentary film made in Iceland

[cinetudes · 9/10 · 25 May 2004]

Enquête sur le Monde Invisible is a documentary film made in Iceland. Living in a primitive nature, always in formation, this modern nation maintains a secret relationship with a community of invisible beings : the elves.

Many Icelanders also affirm to have seen ghosts. Others observe aquatic monsters or communicate with angels and the extraterrestrial. Resting on disconcerting confessions, this investigation confronts us with a fundamental question : are we alone in the universe?

Jean-Michel Roux(French director, author of the sympathetic Thousand Wonders of the Universe), offers us here a single and completely atypical work in its intentions as in its result. The film is located in a seldom explored fringe of the cinema, the sometimes thin border which separates pure objective documentary from fiction film . Thus, testimonies of all the Icelanders are entirely authentic but J.M. Roux has the intelligence not to show them in a rough way and hoping that they will disturb the public, but on the contrary exploits the form by using cinematographic techniques in order to present these testimonies under a strange view which is based on the usual representations of the mysterious on the large like the small screen (luminous halo etc).

In the same way, it makes sure that the testimonies appear sometimes absurd and full of references to the cinema (very fond of fantastic and paranormal), but their content is perfectly disconcerting by their logic and the natural tone of the questioned people. It also admirably managed to combine the grainy and unusual image of super 16 scope, and the magnificence and the strangeness of the Icelandic landscapes in order to spare contemplative breaks after each major testimony so that the spectator can reflect and be disturbed by what it has just heard.

The atmospheric music is also for a lot in the so particular environment of the film, withing the just limit of the New Age cliché, but perfectly in agreement with the lunar quality of the images, in order to place the spectator in a state necessary to a greater receptivity. Here is a work which should be seen by all the amateurs of fantastic as it makes it possible to reflect on the topics which constitute their films of predilection, in a different and disconcerting way, by replacing them in reality and especially without them having as only justification dramatic stakes. The film is thus built on the opposition between the veracity of testimonies and the artificial aspect of the cinematographic techniques, which allows J.M. Roux to give to his film an aspect often disturbing so much the questions raised by these testimonies are unsettling.

The end of the film is for this reason of a rare ambition, not in its form (then again ...) but in the questions which it asks and especially the vertiginous and finally very positive prospects that it offers. "The existence of elves, ghosts, extraterrestrial beings, a life after death, was never proved. It is similar with God : nobody has proved if he exists or not." Quote from Mrs Vigdis Finnbogadottir, President of the Republic of Iceland of 1980 to 1996.

A must see movie about Iceland! (Elfs, Trolls, HiddenFolk)

[JerseyCity604 · 10/10 · 1 December 2006]

I just saw this movie at Scandinavia House in New York, and I enjoyed it very much. His movie is filmed in Iceland, one of the most beautiful natural volcanic landscapes in the world. It is a documentary, but a documentary that uses many Psychedelic effects to enhance the experience. It stars many normal everyday Icelanders, who are the descended from the Vikings who settled this island in the 10th century. These settlers brought their belief in Norse Mythology (Elfs, Trolls, HiddenFolk) with them from Scandinavia. Even today, the folk beliefs in elfs, trolls, "hidden folk", and sea monsters persists in Iceland, which is one of the most advanced countries in the world. I also liked how the director/writer Jean-Michel Roux took questions from the audience after the screening. I am going to get several copies of this movie on DVD for my friends.

Absolutely Magical...A Must See!!!

[meddlecore · 10/10 · 20 April 2011]

Do you believe in Ghosts, Spirits, Angels, Monsters or Aliens? How about Elves, Fairies, Trolls, Dwarfs, and Gnomes? Or, perhaps, the abilities of Mediums and Clairvoyants? Prepare to have your worldview challenged, if not changed forever.

In his film, "Investigation Into The Invisible World", French filmmaker Jean-Michel Roux takes us on a magical journey into the Island of Iceland, whose culture and people are still able to perceive and interact with the various beings that inhabit this intriguing invisible realm.

"Iceland, the world's largest volcanic island, lies just North of the Arctic Circle where the European and American tectonic plates meet. Earthquakes and eruptions regularly alter the country's surface. In 874 Norwegian farmers and Vikings settled this wild land with Irish slaves. In 930 they founded the Althing, Europe's first Democratic Assembly. In 1864 Jules Verne placed the entrance to the centre of the earth on the Snaeffels Volcano. In 1980, the Icelanders elected the world's first female President. The 283,000 inhabitants speak almost the same language as their ancestors: Old Norse. On my first visit to Iceland, I discovered that most Icelanders believe in hidden beings. A minority claim to be in contact with these hidden beings. Therefore, I decided to investigate the phenomenon. This documentary is a result of several years of investigation --Jean-Michel Roux" --(film's intro)

The film opens with a scene of rebirth through which Roux brings us on a journey into the magical world that still exists on the islands of Iceland, as well as the hearts and minds of the people who live there.

We hear the stories and experiences from many of the island nation's most intriguing human inhabitants- from those who claim to be Mediums (who possess the ability to see/contact the invisible worlds), both young and old; to regular citizens who have had inexplicable experiences; and even the politicians, public servants and other notable citizens (like film director's Friðrik �žór Friðriksson & Baltasar Kormákur...and even strongman Magnús Ver Magnússon!) who reflect on instances that they have experienced first hand or heard about.

During his investigation, Roux reveals that the invisible world of Elves, Gnomes, Trolls and Dwarfs are inexplicably linked to the Island's magnificent geology- the earthquakes, volcanoes and giant rocks that are imbued with precious metals, minerals, stone...and, perhaps even, (un)seen spiritual entities. We learn that these seemingly lifeless geological constructs are actually the homes and communities of these magnificent beings that are only visible to children and the gifted few.

As a microcosm to the macrocosm, Roux includes a segment from his earlier short film "Elfland" (also included on this DVD as an Extra Feature), in which a road crew is carrying out maintenance on a section of road near some standing stones said to be the homes of a group of Elves. During excavation (in which the stones were to be moved) the equipment began to break down, and the workers believed it was a result of sabotage by the Elves. To overcome this stalemate, a Medium was brought in to assess the situation. She told the men that it would be OK to move the rocks as long as it were done carefully. After a lengthy delay, the construction crew complied and they were able to finish the job without incident.

From the children and families- who share the land with these hidden entities; to the public servants- police, elected politicians and public workers; the clairvoyants and mediums - who are able to perceive these worlds for us; the Herzogian experts- who straddle the border between absurd and brilliant- and even those who aren't sure what they have seen or believe... the Invisible World and it's many inhabitants have managed to saturate (or at least touch) the lives of every Icelander. The film provides us with a privileged glimpse into this magical world in which the Icelandic people dwell, by allowing us to get to know them intimately- as the interviewees gaze straight into the camera as if engaging with us, the viewers, directly.

I LOVE this documentary. A truly magical, mindblowing experience. It is extremely beautifully shot. It has this glow; this aura that perfectly reflects how magical this film really is. The aerial shots are absolutely stunning. And it focuses on some of the most heartwarming and intriguing people ever captured on celluloid. This masterpiece will have you reflecting on what you thought you knew...and may just change the way you look at the world forever. If it doesn't help to bring back some of the magic that has been lost in your life...then nothing will. It is about time we all got back in touch with the invisible world. A MUST SEE. 10 out 10, without question.