Baraka

Baraka
by Ron Fricke

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DVD Reviews of Baraka

DVD Review: A World Beyond Words: One of the Greatest Films Ever Made
Summary: 5 Stars

BARAKA has no actors, no words, no glossy Hollywood faces. It`s non-linear, has no "plot", but clearly a message to whomever views it with the right eye. It is High Art.

It is deep. Subtle. Complex. Profound. Timeless. Mystical. Horrifying. Achingly beautiful. I also wish to describe it as universal but I won`t, because from my experience most people in the mainstream just won`t GET it. This is not a judgement. It is an observation.

Though I came away from the movie feeling that I`ve just witnessed a timeless universal masterpiece, when I showed the movie to a relative, his reaction was quite upsetting to me initially. ALL he saw was the surface and technical aspects of the film/making i.e. "woah dude, an eclipse" or (ignorantly)"that tribsman`s getting groovy". I later came to realize that not everyone will come away from this movie with the same response. It`s not that he was wrong in his opinion; it`s the fact that he didn`t have the faculty for understanding and/or appreciating such a movie.

BARAKA communicates to you what cannot be communicated through words. It is a movie that can only be grasped in its totality, profundity and significance on an intuitive level. Fricke is clearly aware of the limitation of words. Like all the greatest works of art, BARAKA points away toward a direction that is more profound than the object of your observation. I`m not a Christian, but to use the necessary language, this is GOD communicating to You. The closeup image of a Japanese snow monkey, incredibly human-like, resting, meditative, still, aware, awake, ever present, is probably the most beautiful and eloquent capturing of Buddhahood I`ve ever witnessed on film.

I could not talk for two days after watching BARAKA for the first time. I felt as if I`ve left my body. It hit me that hard. It shows what crazy times and the crazy world we live in, that it is both full of horror and beauty, and will always be because to know what beauty is we must be aware of that which is not.

As for the content of the DVD, I have to give it a C or 2½ stars. This is unfortunate and unusual since Baraka has become quite the cult favourite in repertory cinemas around the country and for audiences worldwide. The DVD does not do justice for the type of curiousity fans like myself want to fulfill. The movie was well over five years in the making from what I`ve read and only eight minutes have been devoted to the featurette. I`d say a least a half hour should go towards this considering how long the movie took to complete. Also, a director`s commentary would have been most satisfying - I can`t imagine Ron Fricke having nothing to say during the making of the film as we`re watching the movie, I mean, he`s put his heart and soul into this project and has had immense complications for it`s actualization.

Nonetheless, for me, it is up there with the greatest works of art/cinema in this century. And if you can, try to watch it in the theatre with, hopefully, a good sound system.

And you don`t need to be an "artsy fartsy" to appreciate it!