The short documentary Tarology, The Poetics of Tarot discusses the art and usage of tarot cards most notably by focusing on the practices and interpretations of Enrique Enriquez. A tarot card reader with a unique vision, Enriquez doesn’t see it as his job to divine anything from the cards or focus on the esoteric or the occult; he simply describes the cards that are dealt, and how the different artwork and appearances can relate to each other, and lets the meaning reside with those willing to decipher it for themselves.
And his vision does not just stick with the cards themselves, as Enriquez finds beauty and value in the relationship and interpretation of everything from the shapes of buildings to the curves of individual letters in words. In that way, everything, including the seemingly mundane, suddenly seems to have a more elevated meaning. In Enriquez’s own words, “anything you stop ignoring, becomes absolutely fascinating.”
While Enriquez is the main subject of Tarology, The Poetics of Tarot, the documentary by Chris Deleo and Kimberlie Naughton does talk with other tarot practicioners and offers some historical perspective. Still, this is not an exhaustive history lesson on tarot nor is it an exhaustive biopic on Enriquez. Instead it is an exploration of a unique way of looking at the world, and how the use of tarot cards helped influence that vision.
In other ways, it is as much an appreciation of Enriquez’s vision as his vision is an appreciation of all that surrounds him. In other words, there is value in everything, but what value that is there rests ultimately with the viewer. Just as tarot can be considered “visual poetry,” so too can sequences of this film.
This film was submitted for review through our Submission for Review system. If you have a film you’d like us to see, and we aren’t already looking into it on our own, you too can utilize this service.
