‎Samsara (2011) directed by Ron Fricke • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

Samsara

2011 Directed by Ron Fricke

Samsara is a word that describes the ever turning wheel of life. It is a concept both intimate and vast - the perfect subject for filmmakers Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson, whose previous collaborations include Chronos and Baraka, and who, in the last 20 years, have travelled to over 58 countries together in the pursuit of unique imagery. Samsara takes the form of a nonverbal, guided meditation that will transform viewers in countries around the world as they are swept along a journey of the soul. Through powerful images pristinely photographed in 70mm and a dynamic music score, the film illuminates the links between humanity and the rest of the nature, showing how our life cycle mirrors the rhythm of the planet.

Marcos Luna Putu Dinda Pratika Puti Sri Candra Dewi Ni Made Megahadi Pratiwi

102 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by bwolo ★★★

Cool feature-length adaptation of Madonna's "Ray of Light" video [THIS HAS BEEN A JOKE ABOUT TIME-LAPSE PHOTOGRAPHY. THANKS FOR READING.]
Review by Julie ★★ 4

While undeniably beautiful, this film left a bad taste in my mouth. Samsara is a series of images, cut together in fairly rapid succession, taking the viewer on a “global” tour of the “cultures of the world”. Some images are meant to be purely aesthetically beautiful (which they are), some images are meant to be confrontational. But as these are just images, without context, and in the absence of any explicit narrative, the meaning comes from montage, and I did not care for that meaning.

Yes, there is confrontation, but there is also exploitation and exoticization. Unlike (from what I hear) Baraka, Samsara concerns itself mainly with humans. The near absence of white people, except for a few shots from…
Review by PTAbro ★★★★ 11

While just as visually and technically awe-inspiring as Baraka, Samsara feels much more anthropocentric, which diminishes that feeling of universality contained in its predecessor. Still, for someone who does not usually search out documentaries, Fricke's two masterworks, coupled with the recently watched Bestiaire (thanks for putting it on the radar, Marcissus), have got me craving more non-narrative and lyrical films. I'm looking at you, Qatsi trilogy.
Review by Adam Cook ★★★ 9

Ron Fricke’s first film in twenty years, Samsara, is another bold and dazzling explosion of images from around the world chronicling the progression of life and interconnectedness of the human race. Those familiar with Fricke’s stunning Baraka will know what to expect from his latest non-narrative globetrotting odyssey that took five years to make and explores human life on five continents.

Shot on 70mm film you’ll be hard pressed to find a more visually resplendent cinematic treat for the eyes. It is a constantly shifting kaleidoscope of unforgettable images that threaten to overwhelm the audience in their beauty. The colours are eye-poppingly vibrant, the textures tactile and it contains some truly breathtaking time lapse photography. As a work of visual…
Review by CT_Sexybeast ★★★★½ 2

That fucked my shit up.

Seriously though, this is something else. Samsara is possibly the most visually stunning film I've ever seen. It explores all cultures around the world, the relationships we have with each other and the environment around us, and the pure insignificance one of us has when compared to the eternal circle of life itself.

Despite this description, the film isn't completely depressing. I felt as though I was going through some sort of cleanse while watching it. Samsara was able to expand my mind and tackle thought-provoking themes with relative grace and visual excellence. It really is quite the experience.

I'm not who I could suggest this to. Its abstract and completely visual storytelling will seem offputting for some, and it's occasionally overbearing social message may annoy others, but for me it was a perfect piece of entertainment. A truly beautiful film.
Review by Ryan James Quinn ★★★★½

It's all just sand

My 100th review! This is a movie that I was nervous to see, mainly because Baraka was a piece of art that had spoken to me in such a powerful way I didn't want to experience "Baraka light" or a Baraka knockoff. It is sometimes unfair to compare a directors works against each other (especially if you have an emotional connection to something) instead of just taking the work on its own. Listening to a new album or seeing a new movie should valued on its own at first, then maybe compared against other works later.

The message I get from this movie is that life is short, the existence of the world is long, and…

Recent reviews

Review by Aaron Agler ★★★★★

This movie was a pivotal moment for me as an amateur cinematographer in a lot of ways.

There have been numerous times when I'd be watching a movie with a friend, there would be a part I didn't pay much attention to, and the friend would ask, "Wait, what just happened?" and the only words I could gather were "I dunno but that was a pretty fucking cool ass shot."

If a film looks particularly good to me, I tend to get very obsessed with that element of it and nothing else--sometimes so much so that I can't even recall what just occured narratively.

Samsara opened my eyes to a world of films like Koyaanisqatsi, Baraka, and Sans Soleil, among…
Review by Arun Chivo ★★★★★

Shot in 70mm imax and over several countries beautiful cinematic experience.a documentary about the people culture and earth with no dialogue but visual allegory . A moving museum
Review by Arun Chivo ★★★★★

most beautiful and visonary cinema . shot in 70mm and several countries is a moving museum of entire planet . documentary with no dialogue but pure visual allegory and beauty
Review by Jenn ★★★★

I liked the first one a lil more
Review by Francois Declercq ★★★½

S: 2
A: 5
Review by heebijebies

THE MOST MAJESTIC THINGS IVE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE MY LIFE IM SHOOKETH
Review by Theo ★★★½

Undeniably gorgeous, but I couldn't help but find it lacking.
Samsara continues on the trajectory of montage films like Man With a Movie Camera and Koyaannisqatsi, but somehow feels like one step forward and two back. The richly detailed 70mm filming is orgasmic, yet the rhythm and score feel off.
There's little escalation or flow outside of occasional shot to shot moments. It's begging for music with more scale and personality, this too could give the editing greater motivation.
Review by Koney ★★★★

The first step in improving yourself is to accept your very own flaws. "Samsara" shows the viewer said flaws, by holding up a mirror to all of humankind . This documentary does not portrait one common theme, it portraits every imaginable struggle we encounter on this planet. Without saying a single line of dialog, it speaks to the viewer.
The stunning visuals convey enough feeling, enough words and enough themes for a couple of movies.
But although not a single word is spoken throughout the course of this documentary, most viewers will inevitably get to the conclusion, that mankind is truly unique. We are able to create, yet we bother to destroy. We are able to appease, yet we bother…
Review by Gaylord Paul ★★★★★ 2

Samsara is the most visually stunning film I've ever seen.

Perfectly portraying themes of creation and destruction. Samsara is not just a beautiful film, but also a telescope into the world, with the same set of lenses for the world's most beautiful landscapes to its slaughterhouses.

The scene of the Tibetan monks creating and destroying a sand mandala is the perfect symbol for representing the film's intentions - the transitory nature of material life and existence. Demonstrating the idea that in the end, all of this we do and create, no matter how grand or minuscule, beautiful or not, are eventually swept away.