Koyaanisqatsi

Koyaanisqatsi (1982)

Runtime: 86 minutes

Directed by: Godfrey Reggio

Starring: This is a documentary without narration

From: IRE Productions

This is the reason why I watched Baraka again a few nights ago. I have never seen any of the films in the Qatsi trilogy and I was contemplating watching something completely different from the norm for me, and this fit the bill. I've known about those films for many years and I've had the Blu-Ray set for months now, so I thought I should finally get on it.

Like with Baraka, it is a narration-less experience where a variety of images are seen and they're matched perfectly with a trippy unique soundtrack, this time from Philip Glass. As the back of the individual Blu-Ray case described the film, it “wordlessly surveys the rapidly changing environments of the Northern Hemisphere... it shuttles viewers from one jaw-dropping vision to the next, moving from images of untouched nature to others depicting human beings' increasing dependence on technology.”

While I do say it is a little bit less than Baraka, that is no shame given that on Letterboxd I gave Baraka a full 5 stars and I think I'll rate this 4 ½ stars. It's still a very different experience watching something like this. The visuals are pretty stupendous. I don't want to give much away about the experience as it is another one of those deals where you can decide on your own what the movie is about (something the director has admitted to being the case); the title is a Hopi Indian term meaning “life out of balance” and that is a theme which is easily seen throughout. It's man vs. nature to me and how man has an obvious impact on nature. And heaven knows how true in 2014 the idea is that humans are dependent on technology; that idea was ahead of its time.

I know that this is a short review but like I said... I don't want to give too much away. When I talk about it tomorrowe on Letterboxd I'll likely have some more to say about it, after I spend the night processing it all, you know. I can say that the often-time minimalist score from Glass is pretty rad, and there is plenty of slow motion and sped-up film. Plenty of it. It's done for a good reason. The movie is still effective and it works, even 32 years later.

I will return Sunday night, come hell or high water.