Oh My God

A new documentary goes about the business that mankind has for the length of its existence: the quest for God. The film, Oh My God, from director Peter Rodger, puts its lens to the face of all sorts of people, from all sorts of cultures, from all parts of the world to get to the bottom of this omnipotent creator thing.

Some of those faces will be celebrities, including Ringo Starr, Hugh Jackman, and magician David Copperfield. The idea of a famous magician waxing poetic on religious faith is an interest grabber in and of itself. Maybe he will pour more than a rabbit out of his hat.

But maybe the most interesting voices will be those of the normal folk and their version/vision of God and the disparate personal interpretations interspersed within a common faith. Spiritual leaders will also have their say. Maybe it’ll play like a less cynical or firmly decided Religulous, comedian Bill Mahr’s Godsmacking documentary from last year.

Rodger — whose lineage as a famous British photographer’s son and work as a screenwriter, photographer and commercial filmmaker lends itself to a beautiful world-hopping flick like Oh My God – has taken it upon himself, in three years’ work across 23 countries, to “give the viewer the personal, visceral experience of some kind of reasonable, meaningful definition of one of the most used — some might say overused — words in most every language,” and ultimately answer the question, “Did God create man or did man create God?”

Sounds easy enough. See if he gets it figured out this winter with engagements starting in LA and New York November 13th, which conveniently does not fall on the sabbath.