Koyaanisqatsi

 

Koyaanisqatsi: Life out of Balance (1982)

  

From start to finish, Koyaanisqatsi is a visual spectacle. It is often times loud and thundering, yet it can also be considered quiet as the only sound in the entire film comes from its soundtrack. If I hadn’t seen the intro credits, I would have thought it was made by Stanley Kubrick whose films always favored astonishing imagery over dialogue. Furthermore, the power of this film comes from a symbiosis of two very important elements.

Firstly, it is the use of captivating and awe-inspiring video. Grand physical features and stunning natural vistas line the first 5-10 minutes, which the rest of the film replaces with shots of machines, cityscapes, cars, and thousands of people going about their lives. A good portion of the movie is in very fast motion, followed by slow motion and a quiet finale. The whole movie is not shot from any kind of person’s point of view. Because of this, the  nature of many aerial shots, the lack of a narrator and an overall quality of objectiveness, the film looks more like an alien’s observation of the human race than anything else.

The second element is its use of music. Before there is anything on the screen, the viewer is greeted by an eerie chant (koyaanisqatsi) that slowly grows and grows. Then the movie switches into the man-made world and the music turns to a light operatic tone with orchestral music. Whenever the shots start moving faster, the music follows with a faster beat and a bellowing sound. When the video switches to slow motion in the latter half, the music switches to a slow organ.

Perhaps the most interesting part comes at the very end when the viewer is confronted with a cave painting. The realization that this humongous fast-paced society with all its technology and wonder started here, in a cave with some finger paints.

With that said, I liked the movie. The incredible visuals of natural and man-made landscapes impressed me, even with today’s technology and movie magic. Its theme of society’s negative impact is interesting, but I think its most important accomplishment is the near perfect relationship it establishes with sight and sound.