Samsara (2012)

Samsara is beyond pretty visuals though that's the first thing you notice. There is a story and a connection between every image in this movie which is a sequel to the similarly made Baraka in 1992. From Tibetian Buddhist retreats to the sprawling freeways of Los Angeles, from pictures of a tattooed hulking giant cuddling his baby to sex dolls being mass produced Samsara will at once shock and humble you. This documentary is universally admired, and you should definitely give it a shot. If you love photography than this is a must watch.

I just love it! It is incredible how movie with not a single word can say so much. Scenery is magical and music follows smoothly every scene. I think that somehow everyone can interpret this documentary as they want because it's not about what you hear someone says, but what you see with your own eyes and everyone of us sees world differently. I don't want to spoil but there are truly some good explanations how world works just if you are willing to really see it. I think it was worth all five years it took to make this movie. At least, my recommendation is to watch this documentary because I think you can see the world and learn a lot in less than two hours.

Samsara has no voice-over, but it speaks volumes. It's cleverly constructed, drawing visual queues and combining completely different subjects, which will make your mind make up the compliments and critique it has to make. Samsara starts and never holds back, and it has left me in awe.

Brilliant, but difficult to explain why. No plot, no acting (well, except for one scene, but I'll come to that). So, it's a documentary then? Yes, sort of, but there is no narration, nor captions, nor even tags to let you know what or where in the world you are looking at.In essence, it's a visual documentary on the modern world. Initially it just seems like National Geographic without any commentary: beautiful scenes of temples, nature and places you might want to go as a tourist. However, 100 minutes of random places and things could be boring after a while. Just when you start to think that might well be the case, themes start to emerge: nature, buildings, opulence vs poverty, guns/military, livestock. Pretty much everyday things, and how they are connected.It is basically a 100-minute stream-of-consciousness exercise, using amazing, totally natural visual imagery (ie no CGI). Enjoy it for where it takes your mind, or just for the images and the drama of everyday life.Only negative note is the one scene that isn't candid: a performance artist. Very pretentious and pointless and prevents this movie from being perfect.