Samsara (Ron Fricke, 2011):USA

Reviewed by Barbara Rowland. Viewed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2012.

Director Ron Fricke presents Samsara. This poetic documentary, meaning the ever turning wheel of life, is the follow up to his 1992 film Baraka. While credited as director for both these successful films, Fricke also paid his dues as cinematographer for the ground-breaking documentary film Koyaanisqatsi (1982). Samsara, however, bears a new crown having it’s place in the here and now. With it’s beautiful relativity to all humanity it certainly shines a light on modern human qualities, advancements and adversities.

 Capturing the unknown we are guided on an assortment of tours through unseen cultures and lifestyles. Absorbing the out of reach we are transported to locations unavailable. Acknowledging the tangible we are shown the grace and beauty of what is commonly shown but easily overlooked. Throughout 26 plus countries and through the use of a minimal, honorable crew Samsara provides the most enchanting buffet of images. From artistic monks creating sand like mosaics, to obese American vigorously eating, many themes are showcased to ensure form throughout the film. Religion, birth, death, destruction, reproduction, are suggested repeatedly through visual stimuli. Scenes are meant to provoke, disturb, confuse, and expose worldly issues that we as humanity tend to ignore.The emphasis on image and lack of dialogue makes Samsara such a spectacle.  It’s almost as if the director spread out these images on a table and said, “What do you think?” 

Throughout the Centerpiece screening I attended, the audience estimated at 1000 plus in attendance, reacted as one unit. The laughter, the gasps and tension were all acknowledged that evening. The option was available to use your intellect and senses at the same invitation. The cinematography, also captured by Fricke and soundtrack shape the film’s direction and emotional responses. While being filmed on Super Panavision 70mm film, the color and resolution are almost psychedelic. The use of movement between locations was also very important. Utilizing shots of the Versailles palace and Notre Dame gave relativity to the shots. The editing also poses as an important element as each image is respectfully juxtaposed to it’s compliment or opposite. This technique keeps the “wheel” of the film moving from one theme to the next.

I am a faithful follower of the film’s newly created “buzz” and I admire the persistence and creativity spent in engaging with such a project. As a fan of the “quatsi” films I was pleased to see yet another addition to poetic documentation. Throughout the film I was moved by the choice of locations possibly the most. The heartache I felt when realizing I was looking at a deserted and shattered New Orleans neighborhood, hit like a ton of bricks. I will also never forget the awe of the audience witnessing the pilgrimage to Mecca. Shots like these (which I learned were kept a secret as to “how to?”) are what most live for. Samsara remains one of the most admired films of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2012, and does so with justification. Thank you Mr. Fricke for such a beautiful gift, my only questions are:

Where can I buy the dvd?

 …and

What’s next?

Bravo.