User Reviews

I have to say, I was really just looking forward to seeing a movie about Burning Man as anything Burning Man makes me happy. What I got was so much more. This movie really explains how it got started, letting you relive the first Burning Man like you were there. It showed me what went on behind the scenes to get it where it is today. The politics, the struggles, the changes and of course, the different personalities of those involved. It made me feel like I was back on the Playa at times and made me yearn for the real playa later this year. The art, the artists, the people, the theater that is Burning Man is really amazing to see in this movie. I've already recommended the movie to people that have never gone, are going for the first time and some that are going back for their 5th or 6th time. It's amazing. You should see it.

CoastBurner

Dust and illusions is a balanced, informative and entertaining look at the Burning Man event and its growth from a small group of friends burning an effigy on a beach to the full on insanity and loveliness of a monster party in the desert with fascinating art revelry. Bonin has been five years making this film and knows the event well and has unearthed great archival footage of the early days which few people have seen. If you have any curiosity about why people go to the desert for this event don't miss this film.

This film shed light on some of the issues that have arisen as the event has grown and as the role of large funded art installations have grown in importance. It gives us differing views on whether the event is still true to the values it has espoused, It leaves you the viewer to judge that yourself.

This is a must see film for anyone into Burning Man and art subculture.

If you ever have gone to Burning Man or ever heard anything about it, this tells the full story of its origin, its founders (known and unknown), and has amazing footage, interviews, and images. Really well done that ties all the elements together in a tight seamless weave.

Having been close to the event for 14 years and knowing nearly all the interviewee's as well as so many back stories that never can or will be told I was completely stunned by this documentary.

I think it hangs those that deserves hanging ( by their own words and deeds mind you) and gives credit and props to those that really make the event, what was (and sometimes still is ) a unique life changing event.

So there I am, at the Idaho International Film Festival. My movie is screening and I am stoked. I look through the program to see if I would like to watch any flicks over the weekend.... nope, not really. Then "Dust and Illusions" pops up and I become interested because it seems to be about the exact things that make me not want to attend Burning Man-- religious nuts and cum guzzling hippis.... easily the most effective film I have seen in years and the only good movie of the entire IIFF (beside my own--and that I saw).

It surpassed my anticipation of being a documentary about "Burning Man" and reached out to me on a deeply personal level, referring to the evolution of religion and money grubbing doctrine. Coming from a staunch Southern Baptist upbringing... this was inspiring.

Easily the best Burning Man doc I've seen, and I've seen a few.

Intellectually provocative, this is not just another compilation of eye-candy shots from the desert.

Instead, the film explores the evolution of the event and the creative processes that the Burning Man organization encourages, while asking pertinent questions about the road ahead.

And the film is also quite beautiful.

All the major players are represented -- Larry Harvey, John Law, Michael Mikel, with lots of commentary from the nay-sayers, too.

It is by no means a gee-whiz look at the arts festival in Black Rock City.

In an amazing and unequaled film which tries to encompass Burning Man as an event, movement, culture, and tangent off the zeitgeist, Bonin shows how a unique, complex entity emerges (in proper post-modern style) from elements of 20th century counter/culture blended together by individuals and groups whose quirks and flaws at times contradict and threaten the creation they engender.

Spanning 20 years featuring unequaled access to seminal figures and archival footage, at times funny and often dryly ironic, D&I engages and dissects the people and groups who gestated and cultivate the movement.

If the subject was a corporation or political movement, this film would be nearly perfect. But Burning Man is something else and the 'leaders', the history even, of the event is not the event. The map, as it were, is not the territory, and without addressing the territory the film ultimately fails to address the life, spirit, and meaning of the festival.

Perhaps Bonin's ennui issuing from too much exposure to the politics and drama of the (self-proclaimed?) core individuals narrowed his focus to convincingly and at times devastatingly slicing open and pinning the objects at the expense of the subject.

Ultimately a very worth-while watch for burners, the burner-curious, and anyone interested in issues of culture, community, social (d)evolution, arts and, yes, parties.

An insight into the history, the politics, and the visions that create Burning Man. Excellent footage, interesting interviews, and a well-woven story.

All that I have read about Burning Man omits many of the conflicts that are exposed by this film. Burning Man itself is an exploration of what community can be; for me, the film carried that exploration further. The parts of the film that were annoying were the discoveries of the politics behind Burning Man. Learning about that reframed the event for me (I went for the first time this year, 2009).

I'm looking forward to the DVD; apparently there will be additional footage of the event from back in the day, and more interview footage.

Having entered the Burning Man scene right at the turn of the century (my first burn was 1999), I found myself confronted by a very large, multifaceted event which, I had to admit to myself, I knew very little about. By that time the window had become quite opaque to most new-comers wishing to learn more about the behind-the-scenes history, politics, and management of Burning Man. Other than public Internet sources, all of my perspective came from bits and pieces of hear-say gleaned from folk-lore and tales recited by other burners. "Dust and Illusions" filled in much of the background missing from my over-all perspective of Burning Man. Most of all I appreciate the interview with Larry Harvey, where he explains that Burning Man has evolved in the direction of promoting the establishment of cultural community. Furthermore, I think Larry quite correct in saying that destruction and deconstruction of community resides at the heart of present-day America social-political trends. Simply put: the totalitarian "statist" fears community above all else. Individual people can be individually managed, but autonomous communities are much harder to manage - just ask Larry Harvey.

As a relatively new member to the Burning Man community this documentary provided an historic account which I found most interesting and informative. Getting a glimpse of behind the scenes organization of Burning Man was one of the movie's highlights. I really enjoyed the Flaming Lotus girls and the structures they created. Most inspiring! One of my favorite parts of the movie was the formal dinner on the bridge in San Francisco.

The only part of the movie I found lacking was the perspective of where Burning Man is today and where the director sees Burning Man in the future. I also would have appreciated some testimonials of participants, not just the organizers. Still, it shows you that putting Burning Man together takes quite an effort with some clashing of egos.