Brilliant Disguise: The Samadhi of K.C. Tewari

Evident from its esoteric title alone, Brilliant Disguise: The Samadhi of K.C. Tewari is one of the most audience-specific documentaries you’ll encounter.

Fairly successful as an information-delivery device, director David Silver’s chronicle of the eponymous Ram Dass associate and his impact on Western spiritualists follows a basic cycle of something profound K.C. said (via an archival clip) or did — primarily his talent of entering the high form of meditation-induced consciousness known as Samadhi  — and a memory of someone who studied with him (via talking head interview of fairly low production value).

Though intended as a doorway to enlighten open-minded viewers on Eastern philosophy, the language frequently proves impenetrable and the unimaginative filmmaking makes it all feel like a recorded lecture, rather than an exciting history about a figure who was clearly inspirational for so many people.

The lack of visual flair seems odd for a documentary about entering another plane of consciousness, and without such creative entryways into a dense topic, Brilliant Disguise exists almost exclusively for the already converted or those who simply want to learn and don’t much care about artistic craft.

Grade: C-plus. Not rated. Now playing at Grail Moviehouse

(Photo: Love Serve Remember Films)