MONDO PAGAN

Directed and Produced by Rock Savage

I love a good documentary. I like fun ones even more. Real life is infinitely more entertaining than what someone could come up with on there own. Director Rock Savage proves this with his humorous and fascinating film MONDO PAGAN.

For MONDO PAGAN, Rock Savage provides an overview into the religion of Paganism. For those of you not in the know, the dictionary says a Pagan is anyone whose religious beliefs are outside of Christianity. Before you go name calling the Muslims and Buddists as Pagans you have to know that a practicing Pagan defines his religion a little more sharply. They worship the Gods of Eastern European myth and legend. Most of the faith is derived from the Druids and ancient Celts. It's a religion where man and nature try to exist as one.

Pagan shouldn't be confused with Wicca. While many beliefs are the same, Wiccans are the ones who practice magic. As Rock says in his film, all Wiccans are Pagans, but all Pagans are not Wiccans.

Rock is an untrained filmmaker, and at times it shows. The film is a raw and could use a finer edit, there are too many cuts during dialogue and it becomes annoying. Fortunately the movie is so fun that it more than makes up for any lack of skills.

Rock tries to cover a board canvas. He could have made 2 or 3 in depth features with the material he had. That's my one true criticism of the movie, it glosses over many subjects, never focusing on anything in particular. That's to be expected when your purpose is to provide just a general overview on a subject.

The structure of the film is slightly unusual. Instead of voice over commentary, Rock bookends each segment with a one on one session with his drinking buddy. The two throw back martinis while shedding light on the misconceptions surrounding Paganism. Their comments become more and more humorous as the two get soused.

The drinking seems to take its toll as Rock discusses upcoming segments where he was able to ogle a couple of naked pagan gals. The Pagans view the human body as a work of art and aren't afraid to show it off. During their seasonal festivals, many like to adorn their bodies with artwork and dance around a fire celebration. Rock likes to let his camera linger and celebrate the dancer's bodies. It's this fire dance that climaxes the film. It's the culmination of all the things Pagans believe. They dance to celebrate themselves, their Gods, their beliefs, and their friendships. Rock just lets them dance uninterrupted, free from a judgmental society. Which is all a Pagan really wants, the freedom to be themselves. Isn't that what we all want?

MONDO PAGAN is fun, insightful, sexist, and very loving. I don't know if Rock is Pagan or not, but Pagans everywhere owe him thanks. He's made a very warm film that I hope people take the time to watch.

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You can purchase MONDOPAGAN directly from Rock Savage for $10. Rock Savage