Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Christopher Culver In 1993, filmmakers Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson presented a deeply moving portrait of features universal to all human societies, warned of ecological collapse, and depicted how technology was changing our lives in BARAKA. Shot on 70mm film, this was one of the most visually impressive films ever made, and its lack of any dialogue or narration allowed viewers to engage in their own individual reflections about the panorama on the screen. Two decades later, the team returned with SAMSARA, a sequel that wasn't really necessary.One reason that SAMSARA is not very good is that it often seems a shot-for-shot repeat of BARAKA. The filmmakers revisit many of the same locations (such as Thai prostitutes, a chicken-processing plant, home appliance factories, landfill gleaners). Again Buddhism, the Ka'aba and high church Christianity are depicted, but because the film does not go on to any other religions than what was on BARAKA, these rituals feel this time like cheap exoticism instead of unquenchable anthropological curiosity. SAMSARA also lacks the dramatic arc of BARAKA, coming across as a random succession of images instead of the journey from sacredness to horror and back that we found in its predecessor.That is not to say that SAMSARA is completely without interest. There is an astonishing clip of performance artist Olivier de Sagaza, and the freakish Dubai landscape is depicting in a detail that few (even those who have been there) have seen. SAMSARA is all in all a darker film, and while depictions of the wreckage of Katrina, a Wyoming family that are proud to own an arsenal of guns, and a wounded veteran may fail to really shock viewers in the West who have already been exposed to such images for years, scenes of garish funerals in Nigeria and Indonesian men making the rounds in a sulphur mine (even though they know it is killing them) are stirring and memorable. Of course the visuals are rich, and in Bluray format on my HD projector the film is just as stunningly detailed as its predecessor.However, SAMSARA lacks enough new things to say, it surprisingly doesn't offer continual rewards on rewatching, and just by the fact that it exists out there it potentially dilutes the impact of BARAKA, once a singular film. I was entertained enough to give this a 3-star rating, but I would still recommend BARAKA, and even for those who have seen and loved BARAKA, I would not recommend moving on to this film.

Chris Windus First of all, its important to outline that Samsara is not your typical movie, at all. At first glance, this film looks more like a screensaver than a feature length film. However, this film is much more than that. Ron Fricke uses incredible precise and elegant Cinematography to capture the story behind an array of Landscapes, Environments and Characters, and the end result is simply breathtaking. This is not just a film, it is a visual masterpiece.Every scene captures something different, something spectacular. From sophisticated yet entrancing time lapses, to immersive and emotional portraits, every shot is careful and masterfully planned and preformed. Every shot is different, yet all of them fit together in some sort of massive jigsaw puzzle, which is the real beauty of this film. There is a story within Samsara, yet its not one the director is shoving down your throat. The story that arises from this film is created by the audiences own interpretation, something that many movies struggle to do today. The message drawn out of Samsara is present in every frame, yet Fricke spends just enough time on each shot to keep the audience engaged, before transitioning to another frame, another shot, another message. The soundtrack in this film is also praiseworthy. It works hand in hand with the visual element, adding more context to the film, and only serves to strengthen the mood and impact of Samsara. Its nothing to rave about on its own, but its incorporation with the rest of Samsara is definitely an honorable achievement. And thats about it, there really isn't anything else to this film, and there doesn't need to be. These two elements, the masterful cinematography and the excellent use of the soundtrack are not just the strongest features of this film, they are the only features worth mentioning, and thats not a bad thing, at all. Indeed, this film is not for everyone. If you watch this movie asking for a narrative, a plot, or anything resembling a blockbuster film, you will be left severely disappointed, and very likely bored. However, if you seek a feast for your eyes, incredible cinematography, and a visually stunning experience, then this film is exactly what you want. It will keep you entranced, excited, and wanting more. I highly recommend this film for any aspiring film-maker, lover of film, or even if you are someone who can get lost for hours in your local art gallery.

siddhsai An unimaginable concept which entices the spirit of culture and tradition. The images displayed in the film resembles the art of nature and the world we live in. The movie embraces on the daily routine of several people across different countries with different cultures. It is a very good experience for the first timers who watch a film which involves no voice.The movie starts with the worship of Tibetan monks and their rituals and the movie continues with the beauty of nature and how the present world is ruining it. There was a scene for about 10 minutes that shows how the world is treating other species and most importantly animals for our meal. One should have a lot of courage to make a movie like this. I recommend this movie to everyone who has patience and courage to digest the facts about the world we are living in.

my teacher I tried watching this documentary when it came out. I somehow couldn't. A few days ago I came across it again and started watching it, but stopped after just a couple of minutes. I realized I needed full concentration & total attention. This wasn't just another documentary movie you watch while you do your crosswords or paint your nails. This is a real thing! If you watched Ron Fricke's famous 'Baraka' this one will remind you of it, but while the first one is more civilization-oriented, maybe even old-fashioned nowadays, in the years of the peak in robotics and genetic engineering, the second is more culturally focused and it deals with social differences and issues that many who are busy running through social media life may foresee, or don't know. This film will make you wish you didn't skip your history and geography classes. It will make you wish that you are a billionaire with freedom to spend his entire lifetime on traveling to distant places, breathing into the unbelievable scenery and unimaginable products of human brain. It will also make you feel very grateful because you have a nice home, warm and cozy bed and cooked dinner on your table. Its scenes will make you want to be terribly angry at times because the world is a cruel place, not immune to the rules that belong to animals only, as some think. It will make you feel powerless, yet trying to grasp why such opposites are necessary. It will make you question do you really need one more pair of jeans, new mobile phone or should all that you invest in be your knowledge at first and foremost. Scenes will changes quickly and each will make you want to hit pause and just think about it, discuss, investigate and you won't be alone -its music will be guiding you to a long, deep meditation but without trying to avoid bad, uncomfortable feelings or visualizing reality was different, because it is not. Beauty and essence of life are in the polarities.But, if you want instant opinions and observations that somebody chewed for you, you will soon come to understand that the true magic of this magnificent film begins once it is the end and you get a strong urge to begin talking about it with others. We are all 'Samsara' and we are all here for a reason. If this movie made you accept, no matter how hard it was, that life is like a sand that only revives when the wind starts to blow and swirl, then it means you passed your test of mindful, purposeful and conscious living on this earth.