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The Nature of Existence (2009)

The Nature of Existence (2009)
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What are the answers to the great questions of life, and who is certain they know the truth others have been struggling to find for centuries? Filmmaker Roger Nygard, after examining the lives of Star Trek fans and used car salesmen, profiles a number of thinkers both great and ordinary in this documentary. For The Nature of Existence, Nygard prepared a questionnaire with 85 weighty philosophical questions, ranging from "Why do we exist?" and "Do we have free will?" to "Who created God?" and "Is there a moral yardstick that applies to all cultures?" Nygard then set out to interview as many people who might have something to say about his list of imponderables as possible, ranging from biologist and author Richard Dawkins, physicist and String Theory creator Leonard Susskind, and Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to a born-again Christian wrestler, the director of The Empire Strikes Back, a pair of self-proclaimed druids, and a pizza cook. The result is a witty, thought-provoking, and often surprising study in the greatest mysteries of life. The Nature of Existence was an official selection at the 2009 Cinequest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Director(s):
Roger Nygard
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
NR
Format(s):
DVD  |  Blu-ray
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Synopsis of The Nature of Existence

What are the answers to the great questions of life, and who is certain they know the truth others have been struggling to find for centuries? Filmmaker Roger Nygard, after examining the lives of Star Trek fans and used car salesmen, profiles a number of thinkers both great and ordinary in this documentary. For The Nature of Existence, Nygard prepared a questionnaire with 85 weighty philosophical questions, ranging from "Why do we exist?" and "Do we have free will?" to "Who created God?" and "Is there a moral yardstick that applies to all cultures?" Nygard then set out to interview as many people who might have something to say about his list of imponderables as possible, ranging from biologist and author Richard Dawkins, physicist and String Theory creator Leonard Susskind, and Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to a born-again Christian wrestler, the director of The Empire Strikes Back, a pair of self-proclaimed druids, and a pizza cook. The result is a witty, thought-provoking, and often surprising study in the greatest mysteries of life. The Nature of Existence was an official selection at the 2009 Cinequest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
94 mins
Director(s):
Roger Nygard
Producer(s):
Roger NygardPaul Tarantino
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
NR
Categories:
Documentary
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Member Reviews
 
Tracy P.

The Nature of Existence is a non-judgmental sampling of all the world's religions. If you Google like Peter P says, you may find a clip featuring a Satanist who was interviewed in the movie. If interviewing somebody makes you one of them, that makes Nygard a priest, a rabbi, a Taoist master, and the Pope too.

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Scott S.

Reviewer Peter P. has his info wrong. Nygard has been a die hard hockey fan, and a big fan of player Miroslav Satan. Miroslav has a big following in the bay area. Oh, the movie is very worth a look. I laughed alot, spent quite a bit of time reflecting on some of the dialogue, and upon its ending, I took off my Miroslav Satan jersey and put on some Black Sabbath music.

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Wendi R.

You will laugh, be offended, shake your head and, somehow in the end, you will decide that the world is full of some fascinating and colorful people who are very different from you and from one another. It was a great mixture of religion, science, arrogance, complete wackiness and good humor. Nygard did an excellent job respecting everyone without being patronizing or overly critical. In the end, I loved it.

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