Who's Driving the Dreambus? (2009)

Life is full of big questions: Who am I? Why am I here? Why is there suffering? Is there life after death? and - ultimately - the question we all try to find the answer to, How can I find happiness or peace of mind? But what if that search for happiness was based on a huge misconception, a misconception that has been drummed into us since birth, that we are separate individuals? In Who's Driving the Dreambus? filmmakers Boris and Claire Jänsch go on a personal journey through a series of interviews with eminent spiritual teachers, philosophers and writers - in a quest to unravel what it means to be alive. This radical and challenging documentary, ventures into the heart of the mystery of identity, flipping the idea of spiritual endeavour on its head, revealing a message so profound and yet so simple that it might just end the search. Narrated by Boris Jänsch, the film opens with extraordinary footage from his actual birth filmed by his father, and it becomes clear early on that Boris' search for answers has until now been somewhat unfulfilled. This poetic and uncompromising film comes full circle as it examines birth, death and asks the big questions. No spiritual stone is left unturned as the interviews also tackle wide-ranging topics including suffering, choice and free will, enlightenment and meaning. At times uncomfortably honest but equally humorous Who's driving the Dreambus? is unlike any film in its genre to date and delivers a message with a radically non-dualistic flavour. If you have a treasured belief system, whether it's based on religion, agnosticism or indeed atheism, then this film may be a hard pill to swallow - because what this film is pointing to is the end of individuality. You may have been searching for answers your whole life but are you ready to acknowledge that there might not be any? As Tony Parsons puts it: 'Oneness creates the idea of being a separate individual and goes around looking for something called not being a separate individual... it's a joke, it's the biggest joke in town'.