Koyaanisqatsi is a feature length documentary film with neither a plot in the traditional sense, nor any dialogue whatsoever. When you hear that description not having seen the film or films like it, you will likely be quite confused as to what this experience will really be like. Well if the film lacks those comeponents, that we are so used to seeing in conventional cinema, then what components are actually there?

For starters the film is composed of a series of beautiful images shot by the gifted time lapse photographer Ron Fricke, and accompanying them is a one of a kind score composed by Philip Glass. As an interesting side note, one of the pieces was reused in the film Watchmen from 2009. Koyaanisqatsi really is just that, music and imgaes, but even though these are two elements are both masterfully crafted it is the underlying themes of this film that really makes it such a powerful movie.

The fundamental themes of the film are nature, technology and it's affect on people. It is a sort of meditation on these themes. According to Reggio, there is indeed no one "correct" meaning of the film, so I'm guessing his goal really is to make the viewer reflect on these subjects. And reflect we shall!!

The key to this movie really is the title itself, Koyaanisqatsi. As it reappears at the end of the film we are given a definition of the word, which apparently is a made up word by the director, by combining two words from the Hopi Language. The following definitions are given at the end of the film:
1. Crazy life
2. Life in turmoil
3. life out of balance
4. life disintegrating
5. A state of life that calls for another way of living
These definitions already make this movie interesting for us, wouldn't you say? I will return to those later, but let's first look at the structure of the film:

1. A series of pictograms are followed by extreme slow motion footage of a rocket being launched. this is right out of the gate a stark comparison between the ancient and the modern. (Technically we are not told when the pictograms are from, but this is the association that seems to be closest at hand for a westerner like me.) We cannot help but feel awe for this enormous piece of machinery, that we humans have built, which may defy the forces of gravity and hurl tons of metal into orbit and beyond. At the same time we are struck by the fact, that both the pictograms and the rocket were made by the same human race! (This is important, and I will return to it)

2. Next we see a sequence of barren desert landscapes, and cloud formations, that are sped up to look almost like flowing water in some shots. We get a sense of the ancientness of our planet, amongst others in a shot of a deep canyon that has been carved out over the centuries by a winding river now far below.

3. In the next sequence humanity is introduced into the equation. We are shown similar landscapes as in the previous sequence, but now human industrial technology covers it in every shot. There is a focus on metal, fire and dark smoke, concluding in stock footage of atom bomb detonations. Given the soundtrack and visual motifs at this particular point, it is easy to conclude, that humanity and our dirty machines are simply the villains of this movie, but I think this film has more depth to it, so it would be a shame to end our analysis there. This sequence also cuts a lot faster than the previous one which might illustrate that humanity operate on a much faster timescale, than what one might call geological time. In just a blink of an eye relatively speaking humanity alters scenery that has takes millennia to form.

4. From this frantic sequence, things slow down a bit once more, and we are shown a number of shots depicting derelict and abandoned buildings, followed by buildings actually being demolished. One cannot help but connect this to the images of warfare technology and explosions shown in the previous sequence, and imagine this as some sort of aftermath, the result of our deadly technology. It is not a clear connection however, as upon closer inspection these buildings do not appear to be in disrepair do to warfare in particular, in fact the controlled demolitions rather suggest that they, like much of consumer society, are being trashed in order to make way for new constructions. We get a sense of the impermanence of human society here. We can imagine those buildings once having been new and thought of as something permanent, or at least few would probably have been imagining this fate as they opened for their first inhabitants.

5. Now we move into the modern city and a series of time lapse pictures of the hectic crisscross of people and cars. Throughout this sequence the time of day changes steadily, as we see both sunrises and sunsets. We really get a perspective on humanity like ants in a hive, rushing back and forth in what they believe to be vitally important activities. Racing the rising and setting of the sun, the steady forwards march of time.

6. We then move into a montage of humans interacting with technology, as various factory assembly lines are shown still in extremely fast motion, where all the products of modern leisurely life is produced. This sequence is really overwhelming, and builds on the theme of consumerism, but one also cannot help but contemplate the vastness of the human race. How rediculously many individuals we are on this planet. The members of society are also shown consuming these products at an equally rate.

7. The images of the city and humans interacting with technology continues and intensifies, until the music suddenly breaks and we cut to a dizzying helicopter shot hovering above a cluster of sky scrapers. This was the moment, back when I watched the film for the first time that I most blown away. I couldn't believe how dramatic this film could be without any dialogue or storyline. But that cut took my breath and balance away, as I suddenly found myself floating high above the hectic life below. this is only a temporary respite however, as we soon enough move back to ground level, and the pace starts to pick up once again.

8. Next we are shown pictures of micro chips, as we transition almost seamlessly from the very big to the very small. The structures on the chips closely resemble the areal views of the city, that we have been presented with throughout the film.

9. Finally we return to the rocket launch. this time we see more than the initial takeoff, as we follow the rocket into the sky. Just as it seems to be on it's way, there is an explosion and the craft is torn apart. The camera follows one piece of the wreckage, as it slowly falls to the ground. The opening musical piece returns once again with the deep voice singing "Koyaanisqatsi!" And finally we return to a similar set of pictograms to the ones shown in the beginning. This sequence together with the first thus creates a frame around the film if you will.

Alright, so we have the basic structure down, now let's look closer at some of the interesting motifs shown.

One thing that immediately comes to my mind is the perspective humanity is shown from. The sheer chaos of it all our activities boggles the mind.

There is of course a certain sadness that comes to mind, as each and every one of these people that pass through our field of vision seem to, at least from the grand perspective, be deluding themselves with their ideas of personal significance. At the end of the day, what is a single human life in the scope of all this?

When we go through our lives we follow pretty linear narratives, that we create for ourselves to make sense of the world. By doing this we block out a lot of information without necessarily always being aware of it. Those people we pass on the street, occupy only a temporary place in our mind if any at all. By focusing on our own story so to speak, we are able to make decisions and get things done. This film however takes us out of that day-to-day perspective and allows us to observe humanity without the constraints of our personal narratives. This lead me to contemplate the fact, that every one of those seemingly insignificant "ants" moving insignificantly about have their own personal narratives, are the centers of their own experience. This may sound straight forward, but I think is amazing when we start to contemplate it whilst watching these images. I find myself picking out one specific person and trying to single out their "adventures" through the image. Then I look at it in its totality and I can't help but be filled by emotion. These crowds are like oceans of thought, oceans of dreams and hopes weaving in and out amongst each other. How can one not feel spiritually connected to ones fellow man from this vantage point? This is to me like a conduit for boundless compassion.

So one could argue that the film in a sense answers the question it poses about human significance itself. It shows us that our earthly pursuits do not in themselves contain a deeper meaning. At least it quickly shirnks away, when we consider the cosmos as a whole. Instead we are invited to seek meaning in the connection we feel with our fellow man, the empathy we feel towards one another. We are invited to love unconditionally. This is of course a bit of an interpretational leap, and I would not go as far as to suggest, that this is the intention of the director, rather I reporting on the thought processes that this film provoke in my mind. (Which of course says just as much about me as about the film.)

Let's explore the theme of futility for a little bit though. We see things constantly being created and destroyed. there is no permanence, like in nature. the time lapses get faster and faster, suggesting that our society is developing towards even more impermanence and impatience. The few times where the film cuts to close-ups of individual people, that aren't moving super fast, we always see the same concerned sad expressions on their faces. This is indeed a life out of balance, a rat race that is only getting crazier. That is why, when we finally return to the rocket at the end of the film, it now contains a whole new meaning. This is our last hope of escape. If only we can get away from this madness life can return to a state of harmony. Alas, this hope is quelled as the space craft blows up during the launch. this is for me a heartbreaking moment in a way. It is interestingly also perhaps the only shot in the movie, that depicts something going wrong within "the machine", something not going as planned, nature reasserting itself in a way, or at least a part of it that man has not yet mastered.

Another fascinating thing about the return of the images we see in the beginning, is how the value we associate with them has changed in the context of what the film has shown us. I don't know about you guys, but I couldn't help but think of the builders of the spaceship as superior to the creators of the artwork shown immediately before. We are used to thinking of those cultures as primitive and of ourselves as civilized. However the film return to this comparison, this judgment seems to have been exposed and falsified, or at the very least called into question.

I'm sure there is a lot more to say about this film, but it's 4 am now, and I have been writing for several hours, so let's continue this analysis in our discussions! Hope you enjoyed the film :)