ILE AIYE (THE HOUSE OF LIFE)

In 1989, ex-Talking Heads frontman David Byrne released Ilé Aiyé, an impressionistic art film/documentary on Candomblé, the African spirit cult of the Bahia region of Brazil. Now, 15 years later, Plexifilm has released the film on DVD.

If you\'re a fan of either Byrne or the Brazilian region and culture, chances are you\'ll enjoy the film. At its most basic, Ilé Aiyé is an expressive (and sometimes even bizarre) collage of sights and sounds from Brazil. But at a more detailed and informative level, Ilé Aiyé goes into Candomblé, and how the people of the region had to essentially hide their age-old beliefs and traditions under the guise of Christianity to be able to continue to practice it without the fear of punishment or persecution.

The film is a nice slice of life in Brazil. It shows traditional and spiritual customs performed by the natives, and makes me more interested in the culture and the people.

My main problem with Ilé Aiyé is that it borderlines art film sometimes too often, leaving me with more questions than answers. In a sense, that is good because it will encourage me to learn more about it on my own. But I typically like to walk away from a documentary with answers and having learned something.

Possibly the most interesting aspect of Ilé Aiyé is what it documents without even attempting: it shows us how Byrne got involved in world music and foreign cultures, and how that influenced his artwork and music. Soon after Ilé Aiyé was made, Byrne finished up his first solo album, Rei Momo.

Byrne does commentary during the film (which is optional), and it comes with a booklet that includes an essay by Luc Sante and photographs from Phyllis Galembo. If you\'re an avid Byrne fan, as I am, you\'ll enjoy adding this to your Byrne collection. But if you\'re more into his Heads\' work than you are his solo albums, you may want to spend your money on the Stop Making Sense DVD instead.