jaapgrolleman 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.

Antoni Tolwinski Expecting no dialogue whatsoever and an apparent reliance on visuals obviously created sceptical feelings for me. I'm not particularly into what I can essentially describe as 'nature' documentaries, yet, I wanted to see this film... predominantly out of curiosity as providing absolutely zero dialogue throughout seems like a truly risky move. After somehow sitting through the approximate 102 minutes of beautiful cinematography and some captivating segments, and allowing a few days for this film to sink in... I'm still finding it hard to form a proper opinion. However, it is safe to say that I do seriously appreciate 'Samsara' - what it manages to achieve within such a small budget and an elaborate filming process spanning over almost five years is truly astonishing.There is no doubt about it; the cinematography in this film is practically flawless. Every single shot is evidently crafted with masterful precision, accompanied by a beautifully fitting soundtrack throughout, and edited to the highest standard making the whole film flow nicely with its diverse range of settings and locations. In addition to this, it was truly fascinating to see more of the world - Fricke seems to construct these aesthetically pleasing shots with subtle meaning and undertones, and once again, it's all accomplished in a smooth manner despite the constant change of locations and thus colour palettes. The entire film just flows so nicely, exhibiting parts of the world and allowing its spectator to be educated in the most subtle yet profound way imaginable. The most captivating segment to me personally was the sequence involving Tibetan Monks, as I don't take a particular interest in learning about other cultures... this segment essentially opened my eyes to how delightfully diverse the planet earth actually is. The film does also of course explore the negative aspects to our world, and the pure subtlety in which everything is presented makes it all the more intriguing.Sadly, I must admit that getting through 'Samsara' within one sitting and no breaks is somewhat difficult, and at times makes the film transition into a 'snorefest' of sorts. The best way I can describe my viewing of this film is to say I have 'experienced' it, I appreciate everything it showcases and how it is constructed. However... it is not exactly a film I would call "enjoyable", "entertaining" or even "exciting". I'd recommend to view it in segments with subtle breaks, in order to completely absorb every gorgeous image and its tone. 'Samsara' is undoubtedly an achievement in film-making, and I applaud everyone involved in the process of creating this enchanting piece of art.

George Roots (GeorgeRoots) "Samsara" was shot on the highest film quality possible (70mm), and outputted to digital format. I don't know why I put off seeing it for so long, unfortunately it was one of those films in a long list you'll just eventually get around to seeing. Within Buddhism, "Samsara" is explained as the repetitious, but continuing cycle of birth and death. The process of cycling through one rebirth after another, is figuring out whether it was a psychological experience or a physical one.And I thoroughly enjoyed it. "Samsara" takes about 10 minutes to really warm up, and when it does it's an utter spectacle of both cinematography, editing and narrative. Master director Ron Fricke's efforts have been thoroughly constructed, and transitions flow seamlessly. It's gorgeous to see sands in the desert move like the ocean, and shadows sweeping mountains from dusk to dawn revealing rich unearthly colours. Monk's craft heavily detailed mosaic's with sand, and cultures from both sides of the world are uniquely different and humorously not so different after all.There's not much to say, other than the movie is a wonderful experience. In the age of the Internet and cheaper travel, Mr. Fricke's previous outing "Baraka" has aged terribly in my mind. "Samsara" feels like a conclusion, but more "Quasi-remake" that just flows better in comparison.Final Verdict: Highly worth your time. It has its darker moments, but to have not included them would be a disservice to the picture. 8/10.

WilyBasilisk The universe is full of things that are bot infinitely varied yet profoundly the same. From every galaxy, to every grain of sand, to every life there is, has been, and will be; each one is simultaneously somewhat uniform yet entirely unique. The complex web of factors behind the diversity appears almost chaotic, but scratch beneath the surface and patterns, formula, laws can always be found if you go deep enough.And that's what I took away from Samsara. It's an exquisitely shot and deeply moving piece of work In 102 minutes Fricke and Magidson do a heck of a job in presenting as systemic a picture of the diversity and complexity of our societies and the Earth system processes they find themselves within whilst also hinting at the commonalities to be found everywhere also.It seems as if the media are being especially bleak at the moment. And being so incredibly moved by a film that couldn't be any more non-fiction provided a strong beam of optimistic light in the encroaching darkness. The level of connection to this planet and the people on it which Samsara can stimulate is truly something.After watching it, I returned to a YouTube comment that stood out for me. It said: "the feeling of awe is almost the ultimate antidote against existential despair. It's beautiful how they captured these everyday wonders that we are culturally conditioned to ignore". In a world showing worrying signs of tipping points, collapses and risks of futures that are incompatible with a civilised global community, Samsara is a reminder that it's the diversity of our cultures, our loves, our very existences that may ultimately unite us. If only we'd let it. Watch this film.