Powaqqatsi
Powaqqatsi is a Hopi Native American word for an entity or a way of life that consumes the life force of other beings in order to further its own life. Godfrey Reggio’s film, shot in countries as diverse as India, Kenya and Brazil, focuses on visual ways of describing this consummation. There is no dialogue, only music composed especially for the film, inspired by chanting and sounds originating in the countries where the film is set.
Through stunning cinematography, with footage of people working and living on the land, there is a message to the viewer. Yet it is for each of us to decide what that message can be. The idea behind the film, to let pictures speak for themselves, is great and I think that it partly succeeds in engaging the audience in the questions of nature and humanity. However, as a woman I couldn’t help noticing how relatively few women are portrayed. A film maker always makes choices about what to film, whether it is for a mainstream movie or an eco-documentary like Powaqqatsi, and this inevitably leads to the question; why?
Why choose these particular countries, these particular people? Is there anything inappropriate about depicting other cultures and not let them speak for themselves? Considering these questions, I most appreciated the sequence with European adverts where faces blend into each other. It serves as a reminder of the differences between our consumer society and life closer to the seasons. But it is not enough to make the film as intense or as interesting as it sets out to be.
Anna Solding
