Did you know that air drumming takes much more energy than regular drumming?

“As a drummer, if you have good technique you can go for hours without getting tired,” said Ari Gold.

“But I challenge anyone to go into a semi-squat and air-drum any hard rock song for five minutes and not collapse … it’s a double workout because you’ve got to go down and up.”

Gold would know better than anyone. He’s in Halifax for a screening of his film Adventures of Power, about a guy living the air drumming dream, sort of.

As well as writing and directing, Gold plays Power, a laid-off New Mexico mine worker who sets out to change the world through his love of drums. Of course, he can’t actually play the drums.

As a movie that ends with Power in the “air-drum fight of his life”, the film is firmly in the comedy genre. But it also aims to be smarter and deeper than the average comedy.

“I always wanted to make a political movie. I always wanted to make a spiritual movie. And here was the chance to do it all under the guise of something that’s completely ridiculous,” said Gold.

The whole thing started when Gold — who can play drums for real — entered an air guitar competition and went up to air drum. The crowd loved it.

The story that came out of that one night has now led Gold around North America touring film festivals, and winning several awards.

“Over the course of the movie (Power) realizes the thing he did to compensate for not having his dream, is actually good enough. He has everything he needs already within himself,” said Gold.

Adventures of Power plays as part of the Atlantic Film Festival tonight at 7:10 at Park Lane.