Movie Review: Samsara

Director Ron Fricke and producer Mark Magidson, who collaborated on 1992’s Baraka, bring their next documentary of a similar ilk, Samsara, to the big screen.  The film was in production for five years, showcasing footage and images from 25 different countries, sending the reader on a narration-less journey to explore the advancements and flaws in human civilization.  Without dialogue, written or spoken, the breathtaking and sometimes shocking images are paired with an equally as adventurous score composed by Michael Stearns, Lisa Gerrard, and Marcello De Francisci.  Samsara premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September of 2011 and can now be seen on a limited number of screens around the US.

This is a film that you really have to be in the mood for and have a good idea of what you are getting into.  You may assume that a documentary without dialogue may be a a low-key, relaxing experience with little thinking involved, but this movie provides quite the opposite.  Samsara has a strong message no doubt, though it is not entirely clear.  The filmmakers have let the visually brilliant imagery and complex score lead the way as the viewer draws their own interpretation.  A truly intriguing movie-going experience and a great change of pace from today’s cinema if you ask me.

The footage, shot on 70mm film, is a collage of human civilization and some of the most fascinating parts of the world, starting with ancient religious monuments to vast foreign landscapes and progressing towards a fairly shocking view of today’s society, displaying images of things like the inside of a gun manufacturing plant and natural disasters.  There are a lot of images you will see in Samsara that you definitely will not see anywhere else.  A time lapse technique is also used a lot in this film, and it is used very well.  Also the content is put together very well.  You can tell that a lot of time went into this production.

Though Samsara went in a slightly different direction than I anticipated, it is a powerful production that makes you think about things that you normally wouldn’t think about.  Maybe there is a hidden agenda, I wouldn’t be surprised, but in my experience this movie has no real opinion of its own and its message is up to ones own interpretation.  This is one to see, if not just for the visually spectacular presentation.

7/10 Mustaches