The Sacred Spirit or Espiritu Sagrado is a 2021 Drama/Comedy/Sci-Fi film from Spanish writer/ director Chema García Ibarra (Misterio, Protoparticulas and In the Same Garden). The Sacred Spirit is his first full-length feature, prior to this his longest work was the reasonably well-received 58-minute Sci-Fi film Uranes. Sacred Spirit is a big step up for him, having been picked up for release by Arrow video, this will bring his film to a far bigger audience than his previous works. 

Firstly, it’s hard not to start drawing links to the work of Alejandro Jodorowsky, David Lynch or Fernando Arrabal, the mix of themes on display including ufology, weird religion, spiritualism, magic, conspiracy theories and surrealism, all topics of interest to the aforementioned directors. The story follows a group of UFO enthusiasts, who meet regularly to discuss the latest strange phenomena taking place around the world. The group leader and famous abductee, Julio Esposito dies, leaving a box of belongings to José Manuel (Nacho Fernández, in his first ever role) that includes his own books about his abduction, a shirt that he wore when he was abducted and a key, the two men shared a cosmic secret that could have ramifications for all mankind. In the midst of all this, Jose’s niece Vane has gone missing leaving her twin sister, Vero, behind. Are these seemingly unrelated events related to one another, and if so, what do they mean for José and Vero?

There is an awful lot to unpack from The Sacred Spirit, and it will take more than a single viewing to uncover even a fraction of the information within. The film is crammed with symbolism, there Is an evident obsession with Egyptology, pyramids and the eye of Horus that is everywhere throughout the film. Meanwhile, the title of the film links back to the ambient/ new age album of the same name that features the shamanic chants of the native American people, and in fact, these links are made clear when the music is used in the film’s climax. On top of everything else, the film explores a host of darker themes including paedophilia, organ harvesting and alien abduction. I don’t want to give too much away at this time, as it’s really a film that will benefit from further viewings but there is a host of interesting information about surveillance, the image of the all-seeing eye and the idea of being watched over by an omniscient force.

The film itself is well made and the direction is solid if a little slow-moving at times. The largely unknown cast are terrific in their roles and the whole thing feels expertly made. As mentioned earlier, the influence of Lynch, Arrabal and Jodorowksy is there for all to see, through the film’s obsession with religious and spiritual motifs. The new Arrow Blu-ray comes with a host of bonus features that include, Beyond the Eye of Horus, an interesting documentary piece that explores many of the ideas discussed within the film, as well as this there are various behind-the-scenes featurettes and an interview with writer/ director Chema García Ibarra. The second disc features six of Ibarra’s short sci-fi films collected together for the first time. This works as a great introduction to his works and provides the viewer with some fascinating background viewing.

Overall, this is a wonderful set from Arrow Video, packed full of interesting material as well as a fascinating and well-made feature presentation. All neatly wrapped up in a beautifully packaged limited edition set. Whilst I think the film is worth a four-star review, the set itself is definitely five-star, as it is crammed with additional material, and I think it feels a little churlish to knock such a wonderful package down a mark under the circumstances.