Rituals of the World: Rites of Pain
Brief Synopsis
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Special examines people's endurence of pain as a form of devotion and faith in three segments. The first segment, entitled "Spears For the Spirits," follows the religious journey of Thamil Selvam to the Indian Batu Caves to profess his faith by having his body pierced with 108 hooks. The second segm
Cast & Crew
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Thamil Selvam
Interviewee
Teodoro Ruiz
Interviewee
Roman Mato
Rubens Farias
Interviewee
Marianne Franca
Genet Garamendi
Publicist (Tlc/Los Angeles)
Film Details
Genre
Documentary
Release Date
1997
Technical Specs
Duration
60m
Synopsis
Special examines people's endurence of pain as a form of devotion and faith in three segments. The first segment, entitled "Spears For the Spirits," follows the religious journey of Thamil Selvam to the Indian Batu Caves to profess his faith by having his body pierced with 108 hooks. The second segment, entitled "Public Penance," focuses on the penance ritual of the Cofradia brotherhood in Spain which involves public flogging and stabbing. The third segment, "Spirit Healers of Brazil," concerns the medical practices of Rubens Farias, an unschooled doctor who performs surgery without anesthesia, training or sterilized equipment, yet through the spirit of the late German Dr. Fritz is able to successfully heal his patients.
Film Details
Genre
Documentary
Release Date
1997
Technical Specs
Duration
60m
