Critical Acclaim   Eddie Cockrell, VARIETY, Los Angeles/London: "Having examined the strong Anglo-Burmese heritage suppressed by her mother in 1996 debut "Our Burmese Days," helmer Lindsey Merrison journeys deeper into the contempo society of Myanmar (as country's been known for past dozen years) in lively, colorful docu "Friends in High Places." Story of flamboyant mediums and the cult that's sprung up around them has already nabbed one ethnographic fest prize and will garner more praise on the circuit before vigorous tube and ancillary life. Pic examines influential role of the "nat" in the lives of the Burmese. These mediums, once predominately older ladies, are now primarily gay men known as "nat kadaw." For a repressed population that's some 80% Buddhist in a dictator-controlled society where unburdening oneself to a stranger is considered shameful and scandalous, these sassy, assertive, almost supernatural figures – part fortune teller, carnival barker, and cabaret artist – have become a primary source of solace and inspiration. "If there is Buddha," says one of the two older Burmese women narrators Merrison uses as unofficial guides, "there must be nats." Though off-camera throughout (and heard asking questions only fleetingly), Merrison can barely contain her glee at the spectacle of these gaudy figures, who go by such names as Mr. Famous and Lady Silver Wings. Whether advising prayer to recover lost money or providing intricate instructions designed to garner success and fortune, the nats and the elaborate trappings surrounding them and their often eccentric ceremonies put most Western TV hucksters to shame. Confides one, on the booming nature of his business: "Leprosy isn't as contagious as people's problems." Tech credits are lush, with Lars Barthel's smooth, perceptive 35mm lensing in the capital of Yangon never hinting that filming was done entirely on the sly, with no permits". > [back...]   Official Selection, Visions du réel – Nyon International Documentary Film Festival, April 2001 Most of the information about Burma that we get in the West is of a political character. Yet politics form only the background against which Lindsey Merrison sketches the incredibly lively and colourful existence of a semi-religious cult, in which 85% of the Burmese people are said to believe: the power of the Nats. In the religious hierarchy of those who ultimately rule the world, the Nats are ranked just below God. Nats are brave people, mostly of aristocratic origin, who were killed by their relatives. Kings and queens throughout the ages felt threatened by those close to them, and preferred to kill rather than risk the loss of power. The souls of the murdered are said to have lived on as Nats, and there are still 37 of them. They possess the power to solve people's problems and form perhaps the biggest source of both superstition and relief in a country where Buddhism prevails. Merrison has created a light-hearted but delightfully sharp narrative on the nats, their mediums and their believers. In Friends in High Places, legends, theatre, faith and reality blend into a drama that may inspire the viewer's heart and tickle his sense of humour. Shot with a great sense of expressive body language, Merrison portrays several mediums, all of whom run lucrative businesses from supposedly having a direct line to those 'above'. Apart from their meticulous sense of drama and interaction with the audience, it seems they have little in common; they are portrayed with a lucid eye for their individual idiosyncrasies. Where one of them, enjoying the presence of the camera and under the steady influence of rum, makes sexual insinuations to the people who come to consult him, another is more prone to the didactic: on his door, his customers find a sheet saying: "Ask yourself if you have helped others before you come to me, because I too have troubles of my own." During the course of the film it becomes clear that people of all social milieus sometimes ask for a pwe, a Nat ceremony full of music, dance and play, to enhance their success or improve their health. Merrison has portrayed the nat cult where it unfolds – in the midst of everyday life in Burma. The director maintains a distance, yet knows when to enter the film's colourful tale with wit and a straightforward approach to its characters. Merrison's best find are the two old ladies, who, sitting and smoking on the floor of their small apartment, comment on life and the Nat cult with their unassuming but ironic remarks. Every now and then the film returns to them, as they produce, like a chorus, an unforgettable perspective on life in Burma. Miryam van Lier, Nyon International Documentary Film Festival Programme Notes [back...]   Kerstin Decker, DER TAGESSPIEGEL, Berlin, 11.02.02: Friends in High Places is a highly fascinating depiction of a caste that could well be described as parasitic, since they appear to flourish the more average Burmese suffer. Many Burmese believe that the 'nats' shouldn't just sit back and watch Burma's malaise but this film is sensitive enough not to make a meal of such truisms. Instead, this documentary concentrates entirely on the performances of the nat mediums themselves; lying in wait, as it were, to try and find out what these strange creatures think of themselves. Is there a certain cynicism about their performances, the film asks, or are we watching a bunch of hedonists simply enjoying their homosexuality in full view of the military dictatorship, protected and supported by the Burmese population?" [back...]   Göttingen International Ethnographic Film Festival Selection Committee "It is rare to find humour in an ethnographic film. Lindsey Merrison manages, in this magnificently shot and monumental production, to introduce the 'Nat' or spirit medium cult in Burma to us in a light-hearted manner through the funny conversation between two older Burmese 'aunties' who comment on its place in Buddhist Burma. By alternating between the two ladies and life and work of the lively and provocative mediums the film breathes and smiles. The film holds many more layers: the fairy-tale-like life stories of the most popular 'Nat', the life-stories of the five mediums, their trance-performances, splendidly dressed, and the constant negotiation between the mediums and their clients to assure them of their commitment to the ever-demanding 'Nat'. The filmmaker carefully unfolds the many social aspects of the 'Nat' cult with its 37 'Nat' and the context in which they operate. A reoccurring parallel is drawn between cruel kings of previous times whose victims later became 'Nat' and the rulers of present day Burma. We understand the mediums to be much-needed negotiators with the 'Nat' in times of suppression and uncertainty. Only casually are we informed at the end of the film about the relationship between the homosexuality of most mediums and their profession, which comes as no surprise." [back...]   Beatrijs van Agt, SKRIEN MAGAZINE, Netherlands: "Visually at least as fascinating but much more exciting in terms of content is "Friends in High Places", about the followers of the Nat cult in Burma. Flamboyantly dressed mediums perform as intriguing social workers in a country ruled by a dictatorship." [back...]   Daniel Haber, MYANMAR TIMES, Yangon, May 6-12, 2002: "It is not often that a film shot in Myanmar, albeit a documentary on nat worship, is shown at international film festivals. And the film, as part of the 15th annual Singapore Film Festival, packed in audiences (no doubt including many of Singapore's expatriate Myanmar community) and had to do a second screening to accommodate them all ..." [back...]   Anne Démy-Geroe, Director, Brisbane International Film Festival "Whilst the Nats themselves are fascinating, it is the mediums through which the Nats operate that are the focus of this film. Skilled performers in their own right, they embrace a range of presentation styles to perform the lengthy rituals required by both the Nats and their believers. Prosperous, poor, exotic, mundane ... Merrison follows various mediums, asking probing questions of them and their followers. Why is there a high proportion of homosexuality among the mediums. It is the flamboyance of the role? Or is that only homosexuals can dress as both male and female Nats? Is this a refuge in a country under military rule? Lindsey Merrison discovered relatively late in life that she was part-Burmese. In Our Burmese Days – her first film as a director – she documented a difficult journey of reconciliation she made to Burma with her mother. "Friends in High Places" probably could have been made only by someone in her position, someone close enough to be able to tease out the richness of life behind both the concrete high-rise blocks of Burma's capital and the villages." [back...]   ALLOCHTONENKRANT, Netherlands, May 29th 2002: "One of the highlights of the "Beeld voor beeld" festival is the documentary "Friends in High Places". This documentary not only stands out because it was beautifully shot (unlike most films shown at the festival, "Friends in High Places" was shot using film), the subject matter, too, is very striking. Merrison, who herself has a Burmese background, filmed the "Nat" cult in Burma. Nats are the numerous Gods worshipped in Burma. People can communicate with the Nats through mediums. So these mediums, often homosexuals, could be said to act as social workers. During special sessions they dance to the Nats and, if requested to do so, pass on information. Merrison paints a loving but also ironic picture of the mediums. Whether or not the mediums themselves really believe in the Nats is unclear, but they certainly give the impression they're enjoying themselves, which is hardly surprising as the Nat-cult can be a lucrative business for those who are clever. Moreover, the Nats offer a good excuse to get out of a marriage. The footage of these flamboyantly dressed and violently dancing mediums is all the more remarkable, knowing that it was shot in Burma, which is still ruled by a strict military dictatorship." [back...]   TROUW, Netherlands, May 29th 2002: In a changing world cultural traditions can offer support, as is also shown in the film "Friends in High Places" opening the "Beeld voor beeld" festival tonight. Without permission from the Burmese authorities, filmmaker Lindsey Merrison shot a film about the Nat-cult in an otherwise Buddhist country. She explores the theatrical world of the usually homosexual mediums who are in contact with the Nats, the spirits of the dead. Because of their advice and their predictions they are regarded by many people as psychiatrists or some kind of social workers, even though their mysterious combination of game and religion is not watertight. "When your child is one year old, you will be incredibly rich," predicts an extravagant character, simply adjusting the statement after it turns out the child is already two years old. "It's like dialling the phone number of a higher world," another medium says, explaining his work method, "offer some fruit and light a candle and you've got a hotline to the Nats, success guaranteed!" "As long as human problems remain more infectious than leprosy," another medium says, "the Burmese will stick to the Nats and their traditions." [back...]   Bettina Kocher, Curator, Hamburg Television Workshop on the Developing World, 2001 The significance of the nats – supernatural figures that are somewhere between gods and humans – is deeply-rooted in the daily lives of the Burmese. The Burmese pray to the nats in times of trouble and in their hours of need; they also propitiate them to show their gratitude when their wishes are fulfilled. Burma's nat mediums are dazzling personalities – often homosexual – who are able to portray both male and female nats. Clad in marvellous costumes, they bring to life the unhappy and poignant stories of the people who died and became nat spirits. Friends in High Places sheds light on aspects of daily life in Burma that would otherwise most certainly remain beyond the ken of the average viewer. Just beneath the surface of Burma's dictatorship, a whole world is revealed to us which has real subversive power. The filmmakers' proximity to her protagonists is palpable during every single moment of the film and is also reflected in the superbly involved camerawork at astonishingly close quarters. Regardless of whether they are observing their duties to represent the nats during ceremonies or just being themselves, the film's protagonists – at times serious and at others playful – are always utterly absorbed in what they are doing. As a result, 'Friends in High Places' succeeds in revealing a fascinating and wholly unknown world in moments that are in fact a form of recognition – a rare achievement indeed. Moreover, the filmmakers' use of two eloquent and committed commentators in the shape of two middle-aged Burmese women, provides just the right level of information needed to bridge the gap between Burmese culture and our own. [back...]