Between the Folds (2008)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Blistering performances.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I expected to be introduced to a world of origami that went beyond my casual acquaintance of it. What I was unprepared for and moved by was how far beyond "beauty" and "technique" the pursuit of this art can take us. I thought this film was crafted in such a way as to gradually intensify the effect of discovering ever deeper meaning in the art and science of folding. Each artist portrayed approach their work with a passion and clarity that leads to greater discovery; their philosophical concepts derived from the methods to their art making is inspiring. The film is a perfect blend of informative storytelling and artistic inspiration.

One enters Between the Folds thinking this is about origami. By the end of it, I realized the implications of paper folding are much richer and more complex than I am able to grasp. The film takes one on an aesthetic trip, a mind trip, a math trip and ends up showing how this (seemingly) simple act can affect/explain/develop/interpret an almost endless set of understandings about our world. It deserves to be shown in every school from 3rd grad through grad school, and if anyone wondered about the intersection of art and science, they will find here. Entertaining, amazing, extremely well executed, one has to be asleep not to be moved and motivated to want this to be minimally on TED and let it spread virally.

Vanessa Gould has done the world a tremendous service by producing a documentary that is breathtaking. Between the folds not only demonstrates the wizardry of great masters of origami, it connects science and art in a way that connects heart with soul. The practical uses of origami, driven by the elegance of the underlying mathematics, are astounding. The contributions of the late Yoshizawa-san on origami have been phenomenal, but those of Dr. Robert Lang, Michael LaFosse, Vincent Floderer and all the others in the film are no less so. The genius in each of these artists is visible in their passion, their creativity, their dedication and their pride. Origami is truly therapeutic. As Dr. Demaine says, it is fun. Thanks to Vanessa and her gorgeous project, we can all enjoy the grandeur of this art form.

Most people don't realize just how much origami has been a part of our lives, and will be for the unforeseeable future in exciting new ways. This film, at last, gives us a peek into a world of artists, scientists, mathematicians, educators and, of course, those that have the desire to simply fold paper. New horizons in medicine use origami to save lives. Teaching methods improve a child's ability to learn math. Complex mathematics are described with modular and curved folding. Industrial designers have made products for our daily lives. Molecular biologists are folding DNA! Vanessa Gould's lens shows us how this ancient art has developed as she interviews many of today's leading figures. This is the first (and only) film ever made on the subject.