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USA 2011
Directed by
Ron Fricke
99 minutes
Rated PG

Reviewed by
Sharon Hurst
4 stars

Samsara (2011)

Synopsis: Contemplate humanity and reflect upon what links us to each other and to the world as a whole on this journey across 25 countries on five continents.

Five years in the making, this exquisite film is a sensory feast. It is something to surrender yourself to. And since there is not a single spoken word, you have all the time in your own head to make your own interpretations of what the filmmakers are trying to communicate. The concept and approach are not new: Fricke was DOP and co-writer for Godfrey Reggio's benchmark Koyaanisqatsi 30 years ago and himself made Baraka 20 years ago. These are too distant in my memory for comparison but this latest addition to the catalogue of such films absolutely blew me away.

Samsara is a Sanskrit word meaning “the ever turning wheel of life” and Fricke and co-writer Mark Magidson make it their grounding concept both thematically and visually. From the startling opening shot of the close-up eyes of a Thai dancer there is a continuing and palpable sense of the interconnection, as well as the transience, of all things in the cycle of birth, life and death.

Just to give you a tiny taste of what to expect: monks making a mandala high in the mountains of Ladakh, India; Egyptian families living cheek-by-jowl with the great pyramids; Chinese assembly line workers chopping and packaging pig and chicken carcasses; impoverished communities picking over garbage as trucks deposit it; exquisite Thai dancers; a factory producing sex dolls; highly developed cities seen from the air with freeway and building lights twinkling. . . the list goes on.  But really, there’s little point my telling you more. Samsara is not so much a case study of the fabulous variety of life as an immersive experiencing of it.

Shot on 70 mm film by Fricke, the imagery is beyond breathtaking. Some scenes are so jaw-droppingly good one might think for a moment that they were CGI. But no, it’s all real; the saturated, gorgeous colors are Nature’s own. Some things are familiar, but as you’ve never seen them before whilst the time-lapse photography reflects a master at work. The impressive editing works wonders too, such as when a close-up of the eyes of an African woman blend into an LA freeway shot. Music plays an important role, with Michael Stearns directing and composing, and Australia’s own Lisa Gerrard also responsible for much of the composition.

If ever a film could give you the opportunity to absorb, marvel and reflect on life, the universe and everything, Samsara is it.

 

 

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