Becoming Nobody

"Becoming Nobody" is the 2019 documentary from Love Serve Remember Films and Google Empathy Lab. In it, director Jamie Catto and producer Raghu Markus give an intimate portrait of American spiritual teacher Ram Dass and his teachings. It opens at the Rubin Museum in New York, Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles, and various theaters in San Francisco on September 6. (Exact details and a trailer can be found at https://becomingnobody.com/.)

Ram Dass looks like a sincere, American John Cleese. His' sense of humor is omnipresent in the film. As an old man engaging in conversation with director Jamie Catto, he could easily be mistaken for someone's bright-eyed grandpa on vacation and not the world-famous guru known for books such as "Be Here Now," the Here and Now podcast, LSRF retreats, and other offerings.

The title "Becoming Nobody" is a reaction to Ram Dass' teachings that humans are born with a spacesuit that we learn how to navigate in this world. This navigation is complicated by our inability to differentiate between our self and our body. By "Becoming Nobody," a person is drawn out of their physical, psychological identity and brought closer to enlightenment. The path to enlightenment is available to anyone willing to begin the journey.

"Becoming Nobody" the film pairs clips from Ram Dass' public speaking events with a one-on-one interview between director Catto and Ram Dass. Ram Dass is charismatic, funny, and easy to listen to; his voice takes on a meditative quality. Longer clips may lull a viewer to sleep. It is up to the viewer to determine if it is the vocal quality or the subject matter that inspires sleep.

Long monologues from Ram Dass are accompanied by a collage of stock footage and cartoons. They give the eye something tangible to focus on as he speaks on abstract concepts such as somebodiness and planes of awareness.

Unfortunately, neither the clips from speaking events as well as the interview with Catto are captioned with dates or locations. The viewer will either have to live with not knowing where Ram Dass was speaking, or conduct independent research for specifics.

"Becoming Nobody" is a film with an intended audience: Ram Dass' followers and others on the path towards enlightenment. A majority of Ram Dass' followers that are caught on tape are white. The anecdotes and examples that Ram Dass gives in his public speaking events are not universally applicable to persons without the privilege, free time, money, or desire to journey the path towards enlightenment. Those who do not share an appreciation of Eastern philosophy through a Western lens should consider other documentaries. This film will not serve them.

Jamie Catto is the creative catalyst, producer and director behind the global philosophy and music project "1 Giant Leap," and founding member of Faithless. The first 1 Giant Leap was nominated for 2 Grammys in 2003, sold over 300 thousand albums, and won numerous awards globally. The 2009 movie and album, "What About Me?" won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at Red Rock Film Festival.

Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert, April 6, 1931) is an American contemporary spiritual teacher and the author of the seminal 1971 book "Be Here Now." Ram Dass first went to India in 1967. He was still Dr. Richard Alpert, a prominent Harvard psychologist and psychedelic pioneer - a colleague, in this last, with Dr. Timothy Leary. He continued his psychedelic research until a fateful Eastern trip in 1967 when he traveled to India. There, he met his guru, Neem Karoli Baba, affectionately known as Maharaj-ji, who gave Ram Dass his name, which means "servant of God." Ram Dass' spirit has been a guiding light for generations, carrying along millions on the journey, helping to free them from their bonds as he works through his own. His unique skill in getting people to cut through and feel divine love without dogma remains a positive influence for people around the world.