Naqoyqatsi (2002)

Director:

Godfrey Reggio

Writer:

Godfrey Reggio (written by)

Release Date:

21 January 2003 (Czech Republic)

Genre:

Documentary | Sport

Tagline:

Test-drive the future

Plot:

A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by gobalized technology and violence.

Plot Keywords:

Technology | Violence | One Word Title | Mandelbrot Fractal | Part Animated

Cast

Marlon Brando	...	Himself (archive footage)
Bella Donna	...	(archive footage)
Elton John	...	Himself (archive footage)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	...	Herself (archive footage)
Bhagwan Mirchandani	...	Business Man
Jack Shamblin	...	Atomic Adam
Steven Soderbergh	...	Man reflected in digital screens (3rd segment)

Also Known As:

Naqoyqatsi: Life as War (USA) (poster title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for violent and disturbing images, and for brief nudity.

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Hungary:14 | Australia:G | Germany:6 | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:G | USA:PG (certificate #39003)

Filming Locations:

Michigan Central Depot - W. Vernor and W. Michigan Avenues, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

The film's title has three meanings according to the closing credits. They are (1) a life of killing each other (2) war as a way of life and (3) civilized violence (interpretation).

Movie Connections:

Edited from Doom (1993) (VG)

An Incoherent Barrage of Images

Having seen Koyanisqatsi and Baraka I was very much looking forward to viewing this movie to see how Godfrey Reggio's view of the world has changed and what nuggets of visual wisdom he would impart to me this time around. Needless to say (if you read the summary) I was quite disappointed in the way Mr. Reggio presented his latest film.

If one is seeing this film then one is more than likely already familiar with, and highly sensitive to, the problems that are facing the Earth today. Naqoyqatsi seems to delight in pummeling the viewer with shot after out of focused, highly contrasted, digitally altered shot of the continued plagues of the world.

Yes Mr. Reggio, we know that war is bad, that ideological conformity is limiting, that destruction of the environment threatens our future. The task now at hand is not to document the continuation of these negative historical trends but to show those of us interested how we can begin to live our lives differently to alter the course of history.

After walking out of the movie I felt I had just left an extended 90 minute MTV Yo Yo Ma music video. And not a good MTV video but one of those I-can't-concentrate-for-more-than-2-seconds music videos. Disjointed, depressing, confusing and incoherent are the words I would use to best describe this movie. Skip it.