All Illusions must be Broken

ABOUT THE FILM

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All Illusions Must Be Broken is a cinematic contemporization of the last interview made with American cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker whose book The Denial of Death won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction in 1974.

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Becker’s multi-disciplinary exploration of human nature and his own personal testimony challenge us to move beyond our fears and see the beauty that surrounds our fragile lives.

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Using Becker’s brilliantly conceived framework, the film examines unexpected consequences of denaturing children’s formative years.

His ideas help to show how replacing our given natural environment with a virtual one only furthers our tendencies toward self-deception.

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Part film essay, part verité study, the narrative interleaves Becker’s profound insights, contemporary interviews on the re-patterning power of screens, and scenes from

a boyhood ages birth to 13 to demonstrate our rapidly unraveling relationship to nature. .