ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the process that gives a subject access to a vision of the afterlife. Along the way, it explores a universe that has still been little addressed by anthropologists: the testimony of individuals who have had near-death experiences and who have reported their pre-mortem visions. More importantly, this will lead to address similarities between the worlds of trance and experimental film which so far have not been explored. The palo ritual is generally characterized by two stages: first, going into the trance, and, second, returning to a normal state, with the subject undergoing sudden flashes. Experimental film-makers have developed a kind of visual and auditory abstraction to satisfy their demand for complete freedom of expression, and to demonstrate their rejection of realistic, overly academic images. Unlike those of “classical” film, the intentions of experimental film have never been about telling stories but about provoking multiple sensations.
