A Conversation with Barnet Bain and Eckhart Tolle
When Eckhart Tolle agreed to let me to film his story Milton’s Secret, I didn’t hesitate. I leapt at the chance. I have made a life’s work of stewarding innovative projects that celebrate the human spirit, but I am especially grateful to Eckhart and Robert Friedman for entrusting me to make their story about mindful awareness ring true to a dedicated readership that has purchased more than 15 million of Eckhart’s bestselling books to date, and for the opportunity to present mindfulness in a mainstream motion picture for the first time ever.
In an age of financial, social and political breakdown, we sometimes wish we could go back to simpler times. We long for answers. Milton’s Secret models, but not mandates a different response to the stresses and chaos of modern life. It shows us a way to pay closer attention to what is happening within us; our thoughts, feelings, and emotions, enabling us to better cope with the trials of everyday living.
Milton’s Secret centers on a boy who discovers that rehashing bad experiences from his past and worries about his future are preventing him from enjoying real happiness through living in the present moment. We will model by example — but not preach — practical tools to keep alive curiosity, compassion and coping skills that enable children and their parents alike to manage stress and pay attention to what really matters amidst the frantic pace of life.
As a general note, the tone of the movie will be a little more adult without sacrificing our family audience. For our young protagonist and his friends we are referencing The Suburbs (video by Arcade Fire) Is Anybody There?, The Spectacular Now and Whale Rider. The OVERALL LOOK of the movie will be Magical, Playful, but Stressed. Reference – Magical Realist paintings of George Tooker. We should immediately get a sense of the chaotic world in every shot. For example – not just background extras, but a mom dealing with a toddler’s tantrum, or distraught motorists venting road rage. It is a world full of blocked personal urges; impersonal phone trees, indifferent service, and systemic frustration. Recently, at the airport parking lot in Montreal, I encountered a young woman trying to find someone – anyone to help her in the exit cue. There was not an attendant anywhere. The machine had taken her money, and the intercom was broken. When I found her she was in tears. “You could be dead and dying,” she lamented, “and no one would notice. That’s progress?”
