Arquivo

A documentary that follows along with the misfortunes of Kusum, an Indian girl of 14 who becomes extremely ill, cannot find the causes for her disease, and is in doubt over two types of treatment: alopathy western medicine and the Indian spiritual cure. With no hope in view by conventional procedures, Kusum’ father, Kaushal, decides to take her to the celebrated healer Bhagat in the neighboring town of Hapur. His methods include conversation with the patient, rituals, and treatment with herbs. The most important part of the therapy, however, are sessions of collective trance in which the spirits manifest themselves and provide revelations which may help the sick. The old medicine man confirms the diagnosis of the friends of the family: the “bad spirits” have attacked Kusum and her kin. Bhagat orders them to present themselves with several offerings to make the spirits manifest themselves. Kusum and her family desperately cling to the rituals in trance, but the entities do not say who they are or what they require.