Sore head from too much partying over Christmas and New Year? Here is the movie tonic to soothe your pain and make you think a little bit deeper about life....
Samsara is a visual treat, a documentary of images with no dialogue, no subtitles and no explanation. Just a guide to the world around us, filmed over a five year period in 25 different countries. It opens with some stunningly beautiful images of structures built in remote locations, followed by Mother Nature at her peak, and traverses through several different facets of modern life such as workers in an industrial factory, pilgrims praying at Mecca, outback Australia, an American family with their guns held proudly (little bit shocking after the recent gun debate in the US), sprawling housing estates bordering onto the Egyptian pyramids, poor people digging through mountains of rubbish for treasures, fishing villages, Buddhist monks making art, luxury hotels, ladyboys in a dance off on stage in Thailand etc etc. It circles back around at the end for some lovely green scenery and back to our Buddhist monks.
The film literally gives you no indication of where or what you are seeing, prompting you to make your own assessments and let your mind wander at will. The soundtrack, when they are not using silence to underscore the power of the image, is beautiful (featuring Aussie Lisa Gerrard quite a bit for those who know her) and stirring. There is definitely an agenda here around spirituality and vegetarianism, but the message is so subtle that some may completely miss it and it's not rammed down your throat. Here's a link to the movie's website if you want to read a little more about it and see the trailer - ttp://barakasamsara.com/samsara/about
What I got out of this movie was a greater appreciation of my work (I'll never say my job is boring after seeing what some people do for what I imagine is very little money), the country we live in (clean, democratic, still relatively close to nature) and the thought that maybe there is more we should all be doing to stop the world being destroyed by our own waste, violence and urban sprawl. It also gave me an idea of a few places I'd like to visit soon, possibly before they disappear or are degraded. But there is also still so much beauty in the world too.
If you want something a little different and have the patience for just under 2 hours of images (I have to admit, the orderly part of my mind wanted a little sub-time with the country and city of each place and I struggled against the urge to play the guessing game each time) then I highly recommend seeing this movie in a cinema with a good screen and sound. Immerse yourself in the world outside yourself and you will see some of the most powerful images you might ever see. There are certainly a couple I don't think I'll forget for a long time, particularly those of some very unique individuals who are filmed just staring into the camera.
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