Review of Samsara (2011) by Paul J — 16 Jun 2012

Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson, who created Chronos and Baraka have joined forces to create Samsara, a true masterpiece. It's a film that redefines cinema. In 99 minutes, without words, Samsara (sanskrit for "ever turning wheel of life") causes the viewer to experience the full range of human feelings.

From wonder at the astounding beauty of our natural environment to fear at our violent human nature, to disgust at our excesses and decadence, to pity for the poor and downtrodden, to joy at the great creations of human kind, to reverence for the many ways we celebrate the divine, this film has all this and more. The music composed by Michael Sterns, Lisa Gerrard and Marcello De Francisci perfectly complements Fricke and Magidson's visuals. Unlike Baraka, the music for Samsara was composed after the film was completed.

There are images in this film that will stay with the viewer for a long time. It is one of the few films to be shot in a 70mm format in the last 40 years. This includes their previous film Baraka. The performance by French artist Olivier de Sagazan is one which will haunt the viewer. The image of one million Muslims in Mecca for the Hajj is another.

Their depiction of the poultry packing industry could cause one to never have KFC again and the shot of the cows on the lazy susan could bring one to eschew milk for ever.

The film took three and half years to shoot and another year and a half in post production. There are hundreds of locations in twenty-five countries. Although the film has no narration or dialogue, it is clear that the filmmakers' are trying to elicit an audience response much like poetry and they succeed completely.

This is a film everyone should see. I mean everyone. It's a film that one can return to again and again like the finest literature and one will certainly be enriched for the experience.