What the #$*! Do We Know !? is one of those movies that doesn’t fall neatly into a category and challenges the conventions of the categories it touches. This small independent film has become a big hit, monopolizing art house screens for months on end and spawning a movement and cottage industry of related conferences based at the film’s web site, http://www.whatthebleep.com/. What the Bleep is like another unconventional film made independently of the major studios, The Passion of the Christ- a rallying banner for those who proudly wear a particular brand of spirituality on their sleeve.

You might call What the Bleep a documentary, since it has all these scientists talking about quantum physics, synaptic networks and neuro-chemical programming. But then it has these sequences with actress Marlee Matlin playing a divorced wedding photographer whose life is coming unraveled- not your usual documentary fare. You could say Matlin’s parts are dramatic reenactments, illustrating how quantum phenomena and neuro-chemical processes work in the everyday world. And then there are the special effects and animation. I guess we call it a docu-drama with spectacular special effects.

What the #$*! Do We Know! tackles the question of what we know and how we know it, bravely jumping into the deep end at the confluence of science and spirituality. Physicists, neurologists and molecular biologists explain the precepts and edgier research in their fields, using language non-scientists like myself can grasp. More specifically, the scientists talk about how the observer shapes observed phenomena on the quantum and neurological levels. Then we see how Amanda lets her memories of a nasty marriage shape her response to the outside world and thereby shape the outside world itself, creating self-fulfilling prophesies if you will. Talk about thoughts made manifest- this is a concrete example anyone can grasp.

One of the refreshing things about this movie is that the scientists unabashedly talk about God. Scientists are supposed to dismiss the notion of a Divine Force, right? Not these folks. They discuss what God means and how the concept correlates with established principles of physics, psychology and neurology.

What the Bleep does an excellent job of tying together physics and neurochemistry to explain how we actually do create reality. ‘You create your own reality’ is a familiar bromide that often feels fizz-less when peddled by New Age mystics. However, What the Bleep marshals the best science has to offer to show us ‘objective reality’ does not exist outside and independent of us, but depends on and requires our participation. The scientific path reaches the same conclusion as the spiritual path: the universe clearly has a Creator- and we are part of It.

The film has great dollops of New Age sensibility and includes Ramtha (supposedly a 35,000 year-old man channeled by the woman JZ Knight) as one of the talking heads. This casting unfortunately will raise questions about the bona fide nature of the science presented. But the film’s flaws don’t detract from its basic message: question the prevailing notion of reality- there’s more going on here than you’ve allowed yourself to think.