1. teamug

   10

   This film is billed as a "guided meditation", and it really is one. If you approach it as such it's absolutely wonderful. But you have to stay with it, and like in meditation, allow your active pursuit of patterns and connections to fall away.… Expand

   • Helpful? 1 of 1 users said Yes.
2. nickgreene11

   9

   Samsara is an incredible collection of moving images, a poignant portrayal of human life in the third millennium. It covers the humorously absurd, the depressingly cruel, and stunningly beautiful traits of being a human. Almost every shot in this film is something you've never seen before, even if it's a shot of a local Costco, or highway. The camera's lens captures what the human eye can't see. I'd agree that sometimes it is a little didactic, and relentless with its social criticism, but you won't mind because you'll be too busy soaking up everything you're seeing. The human subject is never treated as a pawn in the filmmaker's argument, instead every pair of eyes is allowed to exist in front of yours. A spectacle in every sense of the word.… Expand

   • Helpful? 2 of 2 users said Yes.
3. AlienSpaceBats

   8

   I'm doing Samsara a disservice by comparing it to Chronos and Baraka (which the film revisits on several occasions) but also felt underwhelmed by the end; I can't help but feel that it's missing something; a mesmeric otherworldliness that Baraka had (though maybe it's the soundtrack). Still, a work like Samsara is still worlds away and more meaningful than most films.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
4. oliver1h

   7

   My review is based on my own thoughts. Please respect my opinion, as I do respect yours.
   I have to start by saying I loved Koyaanisqatsi. On the other hand i did not like Baraka. My problem with this STUNNINGLY beautiful and very MEANINGFUL movie is that: it becomes preachy about the "western civilization" in a very negative way. Yes our "western civilization" is FAR from being perfect or even good. I do not like what happens in our world either!!! "We" have many problems, (and some very bad and negative tendencies we should keep an eye on, and do against these), but Ron Fricke always portrays it as overcrowded, artificial, imperialistic, bad. Ron Fricke never show the good things about it. He portrays our civilization as a doomed civilization. I sincerely hope we can CHANGE for the better. On the other hand he portrays more far away places, that are not part of that "western civilization" (Tibet, Africa etc.) in a very positive way.Of course there are no problems in these African tribes, like in our countries where millions live. I think every coin has two sides. I do recommend this movie to everyone, because it is an important movie. I hope it inspires people to think about the world, and the way we and others live!… Collapse

   • Helpful? 3 of 3 users said Yes.

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