Koyaanisqatsi Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Koyaannisqatsi
Director: Godfrey Reggio
Year: 1983
Country: US
Language: Hopi

Wow. There are dozens of words I could use to describe the beauty of Koyaanisqatsi, Hopi for "life out of balance" but "wow" could definitely summon it all up. Director Godfrey Reggio certainly has a visionary mind as this is quite... brilliant? adventurous? courageous? It is unlike any film I have ever seen and I mean that in a most sincere and complimentary way. It is the first of three films, the other two are Powaqqatsi (1988) and Naqoyqatsi (2002). Combined they are known as The Qatsi Trilogy. Reggio's avant-garde labor of love took six years to make, but it was definitely worth it.

Koyaanisqatsi is somewhat strange yet incredible documentary. While there is no plot in the traditional sense, there is a definite scenario. The film opens on ancient native American cave drawings, while the soundtrack (which took three years to make itself) chants "Koyaanisqatsi".The film uses time lapse photography and slow motion photography to make comparisons between images. Through this technique we learn more about the world we live in, and how it has been affeted by man.

From the start Godfrey Reggio acknowledged that this 1983 production was only the start of his initial phase of a trilogy that would be shot on 35mm film and hopefully released in theatres that would normally show only mainstream releases like Brain De Palma's Scarface released earlier that year. He was gutsy in his vision, though it seems dangerous to assume film audiences would support a non-narrative film even if it has a serious socio-political message. Though to be fair, this film shows its message in an appealing manner that is in no way pretentious.

I admire the incredible photography, I wish I had Reggio's talent for finding great images. I also find myself in astonishment with the score composed by Phillip Glass, who at first wasn't too excited to make "film music" but grew to love the project. The message of the film is quite clear from the start, man is destroying nature. It warns us about man's love of technology and how that love can spin out of control and bring us in danger of completely harming the environment to the point of no return. I think this film's message is much more effective than Al Gore's MUCH more well known An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

In conclusion, though there are much more man-made problems than our harm to the environment, such as racism and inequality, we cannot be upset at what the film doesn't do as no single film can tackle every human problem. We must appreciate it for what it says about the environment, especially how it shows that. I have never seen a film like this and I likely won't see one like it again. Praise it! 5/5