Any life affirming independent film from a first time director intrigues, but images from Third World countries seals the deal for me. Such was the case the first time viewing the trailer for The Human Experience with its stunning visuals of Peruvian mountains and waterfalls, especially since recently visiting Lima and trekking in the Andes.

The film’s ambitious proclamation, “The meaning of Life is discovered in the experience,” did cause some shudders. Earnest documentaries frequently fall short in execution, so it’s best not to get hopes up too high (especially when the promotional poster proclaims over 25 Winners in film festivals that you’ve never heard of). Only a handful of theaters in Arizona, Colorado, and Texas are screening the film for its April 2010 theatrical release.

Such a small release only whets the appetite. True independent films frequently trump formulaic Hollywood blockbusters and retreads since they can deal with profound subjects and plow creative territory. My religious background also came into play—Baha'u'llah exhorts artists to strive to elevate the human spirit:

The source of crafts, sciences and arts is the power of reflection. Make ye every effort that out of this ideal mine there may gleam forth such pearls of wisdom and utterance as will promote the well-being and harmony of all the kindreds of the earth.

Thus, a perfect storm vortex compelled me to check out the film--I was prime audience material. Like a perpetually optimistic Chicago Cubs fan on opening day, I greatly looked forward to it and was rooting for a winner. Certainly, nothing currently screening in the Valley aims precisely for the hearts of audiences as earnestly. Seeking meaning in their lives, brothers Clifford and Jeffrey Azize join the ranks of the homeless on the streets of New York City, volunteer to help disabled children in Peru, and visit a leper colony in Ghana before reuniting with their long absent father back in NYC.

The brothers assert that these experiences positively transform them. No debating that--having the courage to abandon your comfort zone and participate with people you'd otherwise never associate with certainly has that kind of effect. Younger brother Jeffrey comes across as especially sincere--a true seeker striving to find meaning in his life by looking for wisdom from others who have suffered worse than he has. As John Steinbeck discovered when he traveled along with Okies during the Depression, humans are remarkably resilient and bond together in communities when facing adversity. This Life lesson formed the framework for The Grapes of Wrath (and his body of work for that matter)

Likewise, The Human Experience aspires to illuminate and uplift your spirit with this same message about the nature of the human community. Sadly, it falls flat despite occasional memorable scenes.

Rather than relying on the subjects of the three main "experiences" and shooting enough footage to allow them to reveal these life lessons, the director cannot resist overkill by inserting archive footage (ranging from Gandhi to Martin Luther King to the "Tank Man" of Tianamin Square to 9/11 horror) and preaching cliched platitudes and generalizations via a variety of canned interviews from diverse backgrounds (musician, activist, scientist, priests, philosophers, etc.)

All those interviews accomplished (for me) was to revert to another movie flashback--Crimes and Misdemeanors, where Woody Allen's character enthusiastically wants to craft a documentary about a philosophy professor for his profound and positive views about our purpose in life—only to see that dream destroyed with the professor commits suicide.

Not that I expect a similar fate for Jeffrey. He's obviously been changed for the better through these experiences. It just doesn't translate effectively through this film, which travels far too familiar terrain.

One of the homeless guys has a pretty charismatic pressence and eloquently describes life on the streets. More focus on this guy or on the homeless community alone would be more effective than skimming the surface of New York street life and striving to uncover the meaning of life question. Come to think of it, one standard advice I recall offering struggling essay writers in high school was for them to "write more about less." That same principle holds with The Human Experience.

There's actually a decent 30 minutes worth of film here—enough to compose a memorable short film that would respect the intelligence of the audience. To create a 90 minute feature film required leaving in irrelevant footage and tacking on far too many didactic off screen narratives and on screen archive interview sessions. The theatrical cut works less successfully than its trailer and sentences this film to play better to small film festivals, where its participants will be warmly applauded for their sincere heartfelt great intentions. The film does have a wonderful message—we just seen this before in more creative fashion.