Directed by Yang Rui, 90 mins; 2006; English subtitles

In the Daliang mountains of Sichuan Province lives the tribal Yi minority. Their priests are called bimo. For hundreds of years, the Bimos have relied on memorized scriptures to communicate their people’s desires with the ghosts and spirits of the world. The film follows the stories of three very different Bimos.

The “Spell-casting Bimo” specializes in black magic rituals where one curse is enough to hurt, even kill, a person. But with the Chinese government’s prohibition of these ceremonies, he has fallen from a position of feared power to sad unemployment.  The “Soul-calling Bimo,” the respected master of white magic, cures the sick and calls to souls for help and good fortune. But his past hides sadness and pain. In his quest to birth a son to whom he can pass on his Bimo scriptures, he has married four wives.  By the time he has a son at 64, his abandoned previous three wives have died heart-broken and alone.  The “Village Cadre Bimo” is a rare case among the Yi people:  he is empowered by the Communist government with religious Bimo and political cadre status. He holds power in the worlds of people and spirits. However, when he abuses this power during the village mayoral elections, he is dismissed by the government. This visually stunning documentary weaves their stories together, providing us with a glimpse of their religious life in the midst of tremendous social change.

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