Baraka (1993)

The documentary began with a terrific starting scene and it succeeds in slapping the face of the people watching over time. With great scenes and important messages, he draws audiences in the presence of beautiful music without narrator. Time is passing so fast and you are stunned at the end of the documentary. Without question, I can say the best documentary I have ever seen.

One of the best films to watch and one of the most extraordinary direction of photography that the twentieth century left us. The ability to tell stories only with images and their sounds is amazing. A classic film before the digital era that can not leave anyone indifferent. A masterpiece.

There may be many approaches when choosing film as a medium of communication.The concept of music and images without the contribution of a spoken script, leaves the viewer with a much greater possibilities of interpretation. We have to keep in mind that it is almost mandatory to plunge in the movie through these two unique means in order to let go. Then the experience should be more direct and pure.The result is a highly sensory and spiritual cinematic experience. The approach is totally unbiased. Do not judge or criticize anything. Only presents the images as they are, without the intervention of the spoken or written. I've read some reviews that the film has a message (enviromental, etc...).The movie has no message.No message at all.My view: As a result, IMHO the movie makes us see the world, not as a small part of the picture, (in fact, is what we see in all the movies), but as the the whole picture. Also, being a broader perspective on the human condition, it becomes easier to see ourselves not as individuals, but as a small part of a huge and complex mechanism which is Planet Earth.This approach would also apply to the chaos and randomness which are our lives seems to be tied. The movie makes us aware of the ephemeral nature of each situation, which is due to the impermanence of all forms, good or bad, life and death. Ultimately, all this might suggest the existence of a deployment of a higher order and purpose.Just for introspective viewers. 10/10

Originally shot in 24 countries on six continents, Director Ron Fricke calls his film 'Baraka' "a guided mediation on humanity"; it is, indeed. Even with no narrative or a regular flow of events, the breathtaking shots from around the world show the beauty and destruction of nature and humans. Whether one's high or not high, for an intelligent person who has interests in the fields of art, nature, human life and culture, this film is a trippy meditation on our wide and varied existence on this planet. 'Baraka', in Sufi, means "a blessing, or as the breath, or essence of life from which the evolutionary process unfolds." From meditative slow motion to bewildering time-lapse photography, Ron Fricke (cinematographer and director of the film) captures the scenes with such earnest interest and curiosity, it's like watching memories of places you haven't even been to, and firing various random thoughts in your mind that you never even complete. The incredible soundtrack by Michael Stearns which is sort of a hybrid world-music, and on-site recordings help push us to the dimension where all these thoughts take place.The film begins with a few shots of the mountains, then moving onto showing a snow monkey relaxing in the hot springs of mountains in Japan; it looks so calm and deep-in-thought, reminiscent of human life. It goes on to show so many diverse places and peoples, it's really difficult to list all of them here because there are so many scenes that are awe-inspiring. But just to mention, the most spectacular and memorable sequences include: the Kecak dance (Balinese Monkey Chant) at temple in Tampaksiring (Bali, Indonesia) - dance of Maasai tribe in Kenya - Japanese Buddhist monk on a pavement in walking meditation, with a bell an bowl in hands, asking handout in such a peaceful way - the mass and systematic breeding of chicks in a factory - scenes of photographs and abandoned buildings of Auschwitz in Poland (concentration camp) and Killing Fields in Cambodia (Khmer Rouge torture chambers) - dance of Dervishes in Istanbul (Turkey). And for me, the most powerful and absorbing stretch of sequences start with a father and son on a cycle, on a street in India, and ending with the Butoh dance of Japan; a hauntingly beautiful and enigmatic score accompanies these scenes, which makes the whole sequence out-of-this-world.It's thousands of stories etched into a single movie. Legacies, history, cultures, diversity, pain, suffering, joy, humanity - it's like watching and experiencing so many things at once. It makes you proud to be a part, though the tiniest, of all this. If one can watch only one movie before he dies, this should be it. If an alien race comes to this planet and wants to learn about us, this is the movie they should begin with. Before dying, this is what I would want to see last, thinking all the while - though I may not have been to these places and seen or known them firsthand, but to be able to know of their existence is enough for me.It's one of the best non-verbal documentaries ever made. Watch it on the biggest screen and the best resolution possible, because it's the kind of experience which never leaves your mind, and delights each of your senses. To not have seen this visual masterpiece is to deny oneself the knowledge and understanding of our very existence.