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Jathilan: Trance and Possession in Java ()
Directed by Robert Lemelson
“java music, trance, ethnomusicology, anthropology, tradition and rituals”
· 26m
Practiced in Java for centuries, Jathilan is a folk dance that uses the power of music and dance to channel powerful and sometimes terrifying forces. Led by a spiritual guide and a whip-bearing ringleader, a group of dancers ride woven horses in rhythmic unison until they are entered by spirits. Once possessed they engage in a range of self-mortification behaviors until safely emerging from their altered state, left with no memory of the event and no lingering ill effects. The film combines footage of a number of Jathilan performances with interviews with dancers, spiritual leaders, anthropologists, and enthusiasts.
Crew
- Director
- Robert Lemelson
- Director of Photography
- Wing Ko, Dag Yngvesson
Details
- Runtime
- 26m
- Original language
- EN