Review of Powaqqatsi (1988) by Aliya D — 04 Aug 2008

Allow me to step backwards for a brief moment and ask an important question: Is it possible to enjoy this film without delving into the quasi-intellectual mind? In other words, is this a film you would choose to watch on a lazy Saturday afternoon? To answer that question, it's really going to depend on who you are, what you readily enjoy about film (in general), and what sort of time you wish to spend with an artistic documentary with absolutely no dialogue and seemingly no plot.

In a sense, this film does seem to drag on and you might find yourself squirming near the last 10 to 15 minutes, anxious for the film to draw to a close. However, the last 10 to 15 minutes are perhaps the most compelling as the music shifts from a driving, almost industrial pulse to a Muslim sheik calling to prayer, which, in turn, gives the images new meaning, also allowing for emotions to be easily stirred.

Images flash by one after another of people in various third world countries, which, if you happen to just watch the film without any intellectual thought whatsoever, can easily come across as a National Geographic project.

Is this a bad thing, though? I don't think it is. In fact, instead of analyzing the motifs which the director uses, or contemplating how the music links to images, why not just set aside some time and you've got at least an hour to spend doing whatever to just put on thie film and enter a world you might not otherwise witness? Is this a movie you might choose to watch on a last Saturday afternoon? Again, if you're comfortable with the notion of compelling images, an overwhelming message, all embraced by outstanding music, then I believe you'll discover the answer to be yes.