Samsara

The movie starts interesting with spiritual feelings about the Buddhist way of living, feeling and thinking. Concentrated on feeling and thinking and trying to understand our connection to the universe and the way people came to life, live, die and how their spirit continues in the next life. After the experience with the eyes closed (part 2), very similar to 2001 but much less impressive. This also applies to the next phase of life in part 3, the ghost of grandma Mon reincarnated in a goat. There the depth of the 1st part completely evaporates. Spirituality and the essence of life and death completely dissolve in the superficial way of life and thinking of the people in the Zambian village. The disappearance of the goat into thin air fits well into the complete nothingness of the 3rd part of the film.

This is a gem! Unlike anything I've ever seen before. Saw this at IDFA, the documentary festival in Amsterdam, though it's not your usual type of documentary is it.

I was really looking forward to this and it didn't disappoint. Beautiful imagery from Laos and such a gentle pace in storytelling. And then, halfway through, the most wonderful experience in a cinema I've ever encountered. And then we're in Zanzibar.

Felt really fantastic to be enjoying this with my fellow movie goers. I plan to remember all the wise words and lessons this beautiful film holds.

Hope to maybe see it sometime again.

Apparently, in Sanskrit the word "Samsara" can mean both wandering and world and is generally used in the context of the reincarnation of a soul from one body to the next. That's what this engaging drama attempts to explore and explain over a couple of hours that contrasts quite remarkably the different approaches to the same end product taken by folks thousands of miles apart. From the monastic existences in Laos to far away Zanzibar, and using completely differing religious conduits, we see just how communities look at death and grief, but not as western cultures would perhaps identify them, but as merely stepping stones from and to somewhere else. Maybe better maybe worse - but certainly new, and not necessarily local, either. It's a simple philosophy that has stood these peoples in good stead over many years of war, oppression, famine and yet they still retain an optimism and an humanity that's positive in a pragmatic as well as a dogmatic manner. It's also quite quirky at times using an hybrid of styles of imagery (beware an hour or so in if you're photosensitive) and some quite enlightening conversation with and amongst ordinary people. At times it's borderline soporific, at others lively and vibrant - but what I found most of all is that it invites people to think. I haven't a religious bone in my body, but this isn't really about religion - or even faith, per se. It's about spirit and a community with our surroundings - and though I think it is too long, it's a film that leaves you with something to think about.

We were wanting to watch Fricke's Samsara and bought this by mistake. The most disappointing this about this film is the poor image quality. There are some beautifully composed well-framed shots but the picture quality is poor. This film is about death... and it nearly killed me. Boring, intolerably slow, it gets praised only because it's about poverty-stricken people. It's like everyone feels compelled to say this is profound because it's so 'foreign.' In truth it's a miserable long-winded documentary that labours it's thin philosophical offering. As an attempt to bring reincarnation to life (bad pun intended) it succeeds mainly in inducing coma. From a western perspective it certainly offers some insight into very different cultures but it's just bad story-telling. The flimsiest thread holds the whole thing together.

The movie Samsara is about a soul's journey through death and rebirth. It starts in a Buddhist temple in Laos and ends with reincarnation in Tanzania. It delves into these themes, reflecting perspectives inspired by both Buddhist and Islamic traditions. The movie's magic lies in the naturalness of its scenes and characters, combined with its ability to take viewers on a meditative and immersive visual journey.

Director Lois Patiño creates a movie with breathtaking cinematography, using and blending elements of religiosity, nature, and animals to illustrate a full cycle of life, where beings could reincarnate as different humans, plants, or animals.