There are likely certain conventions that come to mind when one hears the word “documentary.” It’s fair to say such films are one step closer to reality than non-documentary feature films, generally speaking, but different documentaries do differ in how objective they aim to be. A documentary film can retell or depict historical events, more or less, how they happened or take the viewer inside the mind of an individual, exploring how they tick or view the world. Then, some documentaries play out more like cinematic essays and can persuasively put forward an argument or draw attention to something in the world that people might not ordinarily think about. Such documentaries can be subjective, and that can be okay. But then there’s something likeKoyaanisqatsi, which doesn’t really fit neatly into just one of the above-mentioned types of documentary.
Directed byGodfrey Reggio,Koyaanisqatsicaptures everyday life but does so in a dizzying and uniquely cinematic way. It presents an argument about humanity’s place in the world and the issues with industrialization but does so without actually saying anything directly; there’s nothing by way of voice-over narration or interviews here. Outside of some text near the ending,Koyaanisqatsisays all it wants to through striking images (courtesy of cinematographerRon Fricke) and an overwhelmingly bold score (courtesy ofPhilip Glass).It feels timeless and proves a uniquely cinematic experience to take in. Though it’s hard to put it all into words, there are several compelling reasonswhy it’s an all-time great documentaryand a must-watch for anyone who’s intofilms of an arthouse or experimental nature.
What Is ‘Koyaanisqatsi’ About?
Usually, describing the basic plot of a movie is the easiest part of discussing it, but trying to do so when it comes toKoyaanisqatsiis difficult. Even other documentary movies are more directly about something and can be summarized as such, like sayingThe Act of Killingis about making a group of murderers realize what they’ve done through the medium of film or sayingBowling for Columbineis about the availability of firearms in the U.S.Koyaanisqatsi, on the other hand, leaves a good manythings up the viewer’s analysis, particularly before the titles that conclude the film. After all, it’s a series of images of life some 40-ish years ago, starting with natural landscapes, moving to industrial settings, standing out in otherwise natural landscapes, and then ending up depicting city life.
There’s a beauty to the imagery here that shows the world untouched by humanity and a certain chaos found in much of the imagery that focuses more on humanity. The chaos itself is visually striking but also in-your-face (like when things are shown happening very fast, thanks to time-lapse photography) and sometimes downbeat (more when the film employs extreme slow motion). This is hammered homewith a bleak ending sequence, which shows thefailed launch of a rocket, Saturn V, in 1962, followed by text that defines the film’s title.Koyaanisqatsi, the viewer is told,essentially means “Life out of balance.”Things suddenly become all the more clear.
‘Koyaanisqatsi’ Provides a Novel Take on the Documentary Genre
WatchingKoyaanisqatsifor the first time is overwhelming in numerous ways, but one principal thing that stands out initially is how much the film strays from documentary conventions. There are othernotable, innovative, and somewhat experimental documentariesout there, such asMoonage DaydreamandAmy, that get by without any talking head interviews or voice-over narration, but these examples, at least, do rely on archival audio to help create a narrative, alongside some text on-screen that can provide context.Koyaanisqatsitakes things a step further, as far as unconventionality is concerned, having no identifiable language of any kind heard. No dialogue, no archival audio, no interviews, and no narration.
Well, there are vocals in the score, but you’ll probably only pick up on the film’s title being sung a few times. Theonly text is right near the end, with the definition of the title,so hearing it in the music suggests very little while watching the movie for the first time. Couple that with the fact thatKoyaanisqatsidoesn’t follow a central subject or individual – like how the two aforementioned documentaries,Moonage DaydreamandAmy, followDavid BowieandAmy Winehouse,respectively – and you get something particularly experimental and singular. Really, the only things truly comparable toKoyaanisqatsiaretwo sequels,Powaqqatsi(1988) andNaqoyqatsi(2002), plus some spiritual successors directed byKoyaanisqatsi’s cinematographer, Ron Fricke, namelyChronos(1985),Baraka(1992), andSamsara(2011).
The Intense Visual and Musical Beauty of ‘Koyaanisqatsi’
After outlining the waysKoyaanisqatsifeels unconventional based on what it doesn’t include, it’s also worth emphasizing that it feels further singular owing to what it does contain. It might not have invented time-lapse photography as a concept, but itdid help popularize it further, showing various things playing out over a long period of time while presenting them on-screen much more rapidly. Crowds of people are seen from a distance, racing through train stations, as are countless vehicles on freeways. Sometimes, though – often when faces are visible –Koyaanisqastsislows right down, being just as keen to employ extreme slow motion as it is sped-up time-lapse photography.
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Additionally, the editing helps convey certain things thematically and even – arguably – narratively. This is most prominently seen when the aforementioned train station footage plays in close proximity to footage of food passing through a factory setting.People, from a certain distance and at a certain speed, can start to look like hot dogs. In other words, pieces of meat or mere objects to be consumed by larger things. There’s also the wayKoyaanisqatsidraws attention to how similar metropolitan areas, which, when viewed from an extreme distance, look like computer microchips.The incredible Philip Glass scoreworks in tandem withthe innovative visuals and bold editingchoices, but it alsoworks surprisingly well independentlyas an immersive and hypnotic (the word thrown around most often when describingKoyaanisqatsi) piece of music. And the score is notably constant throughout. It has to be when there’s no sound from the more expected sources, like dialogue or interviews.
‘Koyaanisqatsi’ Explores the Idea of Humanity Versus the Natural World with Nuance
There is some empathy found for humanity inKoyaanisqatsi, and it’s not entirely doom-filled or cynical. Well, it is pretty bleak, butthere is some degree of majestyto the way some of the non-natural sights in the film are captured. Some individuals on the street look irritated and even angry about being filmed, but others – namely, the ones who face the camera directly at certain points, thereby surely being aware they are being filmed – appear less closed-off. There’s a tragedy to seeing some of the downtrodden here, with the system being the monster or the antagonist, debatably, more than any individual who’s seen. Also, the cityscapes, when viewed a certain way, represent impressive human accomplishments. And there are moments of potential kindness, like a patient, unseen except for their hand, reaching out and connecting with a doctor or nurse who then appears to tend to them.
Life might be out of balance, butKoyaanisqatsican be read as a warning. The film says it doesn’t have to be like this and that the individuals caught up in a system deserve better. Maybe that’s a more hopeful reading, but there’s nuance here and a level of interpretation left up to the viewer. WhetherKoyaanisqatsisays humanity is doomed or humanity has to change before it’s doomed – or something else entirely – can depend on one’s worldview or even one’s mood when the film is viewed. The main thing is this: everyone should watchKoyaanisqatsi, experience what it has to offer, and think about what it has to say.It’s dazzling technically, unconventional narratively, bold stylistically, and thought-provoking thematically, making itone of its decade’s finest films.
Koyaanisqatsican be rented from Apple TV in the U.S.
Koyaanisqatsi
An experimental documentary blending stunning visuals with a hypnotic score by Philip Glass, the film juxtaposes natural landscapes and human-made environments to explore the impact of technology on the world. Time-lapse and slow-motion cinematography capture the growing disconnect between humanity and nature, with no dialogue or narration to guide the viewer.
