Out Of Darkness: Heavy Is The Crown (Vol. 1)

Writer-director Amadeuz Christ’s Out Of Darkness: Heavy Is The Crown (Vol. 1) dives deep into the origins and history of all religions. How? By focusing on the cradle of civilization itself, Egypt. Through interviews with historians, religious experts, ethnographers, and others, the filmmaker chronicles how the myth, culture, and rituals of ancient Egyptians, as well as those of other tribes who roamed the continent, influenced, or are directly related to, the major religions followed today. Christ also looks at how and why the truth behind these stories and beliefs was scrubbed from the history books; the section on “Amen” is quite eye-opening.

Record producer and artist David Banner shares engaging insights from a more everyday perspective, making most of what’s said palpable. Tony Browder brings almost five decades of research and expertise and ably puts everything into proper context. Atlantis Browder offers an intelligent discussion of the female side of Egyptian religion and culture. Professor James Small, a pan-African scholar, has a wealth of knowledge about the name changes that led to their more well-known monikers.

“…dives deep into the origins and history of all religions.”

All of these interviewees and the sprawling nature of the narrative are very interesting. By focusing on the origins of religion and myth, the director captivates prospective audience members, regardless of their beliefs or lack thereof. The use of Hieroglyphs to highlight what is being said/what these ancient people knew is visually interesting and hammers the points home nicely.

However, it is difficult to completely take Out Of Darkness: Heavy Is The Crown (Vol. 1) due to a number of cheesy elements. Every so often, but enough to be annoying and confusing, a speaker’s voice is made to echo. It is odd, distracting, and serves no story purpose. Also, on the negative side is the score. Well, that’s not completely true, as the music itself is very good and filled with driving beats. But the music never stops. Often, there’s a cacophony of noise when one of the intelligent and well-reasoned interviewees (all of them) begins speaking, and the score keeps blaring. This too is distracting.

Out Of Darkness: Heavy Is The Crown (Vol. 1) unveils a compelling truth about the nature of humans, culture, religion, and the erasure of the truth. When focusing on these elements, the film is truly fascinating. Unfortunately, the sound design is awkward and distracting, with weird, cheap echo effects employed for no reason. Still, this is an engaging documentary, especially for history buffs and religious scholars.