You’re God? Me too

One of the first questions children ask their parents is “Where did I come from?”

Parents with a sense of humor might say, “From the hospital.” Truth is, most of us simply shrug or offer answers tied to organized religion.

The film “What the #$*! Do We Know!” which opens today for a one-week run at the Newport Cinemas, offers an alternative: It combines science with spirituality, psychology with philosophy, and comes up with a novel, and controversial, view.

There is no God, the movie says. We, it claims, are God.

This, of course, isn’t going to please everyone. Sure, the showing at the Body, Mind & Spirit Expo last week sold out. But those who helped make Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” the phenomenon it became are likely to take exception.

Yet “What the #$*! Do We Know!” puts forth an intriguing argument in support of its case. A lineup of articulate scientists and physicians and professors leads viewers through lessons in quantum physics that question everything we take for granted about ostensible reality.

The fictional heart of the film is a tale of epiphany. Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin portrays a confused photographer coming to grips with her persistent unhappiness. The film – which was shot in Portland by a trio of Northwest filmmakers – ultimately portrays quantum physics as “the physics of possibility,” free from the judgments that are forced upon each of us from birth.

With entertaining animation sequences and a stirring musical score, “What the #$*! Do We Know!” ends with an invitation: “Ponder that for a while.”

Some viewers will. Others won’t. The rest of us won’t know what to think.