Samsara ( Ron Fricke, 2011): U.S.A.

Reviewed by Jose De Anda. Viewed at the SBIFF 2012.

A visually stunning masterpiece. This was an awesome film to watch. I enjoyed the beautiful shots that predominate in this visual journey. Without saying a word this film said so much. The destruction an oil fueled world leads to, the beauty of nature as is, the complexity yet savagery of man, the vulnerability of even the most brutal looking. All of these are covered in the film festivals centerpiece gem.

The film starts with just beautiful shots of nature. It travels through various parts of the world to show just how pretty the natural world is. Without need for manipulation of man.

The film later goes to show how cars (symbolic of oil economy) have destroyed schools and homes. It showed how powerful books are. This was a valuable lesson. Oil economy is one of the largest if not largest problem in society these days. I’m glad this film brought it up in such a clever way.

The film then goes onto mankind and how great it can be. It portrays man as being very advanced and sophisticated but it also shows how violent and destructive man can be.

The speed of the film was greatly accelerated on several occasions. This implies that society is living too fast, too furious. I think this was very good and powerful. It delivered a message in a more subtle way.

The film also touches the subject of animal abuse and how the overconsumption of animals has contributed to the culture of excess that is man. The theme of excess is greatly explored in this awesome work of art. The shots of men eating super fast and the image of the super fat guy were meant to show how we exceed ourselves and how that excess is destroying the world.

The shot of the gangster with his baby contrasted brute power and savagery with innocence. It was a very beautiful and inspiring shot. The lesson was even in the most savage appearing outer shell there is still the ability to be gentile and caring.

I still can’t get over how good this film was. I consider it one of the top five easy. This might be the best film of the festival. Way better than Starbuck in my opinion. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone.