'Bleep' blinds 'em with science and spirituality

Oct. 22, 2004

By Chris Gardner

What do you know about "What the #$*! Do We Know!?"?

For anyone who answers "not a lot," that could change as the under-the-radar indie gains momentum at theaters across the country, attempting to demonstrate break-out potential. The reasons the film -- aka "Bleep" -- could rise above the art house fray are simple, according to Betsy Chasse, one part of the film's creative triumvirate.

"The film offers a theory that you create your own reality, you are in ultimate control of your reality and you must take responsibility for it," explains Chasse, who teamed with William Arntz and Mark Vicente to write, direct and produce the film. "That's what most of the perspective in the film is about, but it's also about the influence of science and how it plays into your life."

Calling the film is unique is somewhat of an understatement. It mixes narrative live-action, animation and documentary-style interviews against a backdrop of science and spirituality to tell the story of a divorced photographer, played by Marlee Matlin, who goes through a rabbit hole-like experience -- a la "Alice in Wonderland" -- during which she begins to question her destiny and the control she has over it, all with a little quantum physics thrown into the mix.

The out-of-the-box idea for such a project originated with Arntz, who went from studying physics in college to developing lasers for a company associated with the U.S. government. He then left behind his career in technology in favor of a journey toward spiritual awakening, Chasse says. Several years ago, Arntz hatched the idea for the project with Vicente, and the duo later recruited Chasse, who up until that time had been producing in various capacities on a string of so-so indies like "Dish Dogs," "Nowhere Land," "Spanish Judges," "Just One Night" and "Killer Bud." (She also had a stint running a company, then produced gourmet dog treats.)

"Mark called me, and at the time, I was on the verge of bankruptcy," Chasse recalls. "He said, 'I want you to look at this project. I didn't consider myself a spiritual person, and I don't know anything about science. But the ideas and concepts in the script blew my mind."

Chasse turned down a competing offer to produce another average indie and signed on for "Bleep." With financing from Arntz, the trio set out to realize their creative vision. Once it came to fruition, they faced another challenge in distributing it. But Arntz decided they had come so far, he would fork up additional funds to self-distribute. "We started the release in the town where I now live, Yelm, Wash., because I know the theater owner," Chasse says. "And once it started playing, it just took on a life of its own."

It then fell into the hands of IDP, which will have the film on 146 screens in North America this weekend. "We understood that there is a huge audience out there (for this)," Chase says. "It's not a normal movie that has a big splash, hangs out and dies away quickly. The strong point is word-of-mouth, because the critics don't like this movie. However, people come, they bring one friend, that friend brings another friend the next weekend, and so on. It's become a phenomenon."

"Bleep" also has become a bit of force in the lives of its filmmakers. "The concepts in the movie gave me a new way to look at how I was living my life. I have a better understanding of me," Chasse concludes. "I don't live from a reactionary place. I'm observing and taking it in and making choices instead of constantly reacting. All the things I wanted, I created (for myself) -- I have a beautiful husband, a beautiful baby, I live on five acres of beautiful land in the country, and now I'm able to do a lot of things on my own terms, which is exactly what I wanted."