Naked in Ashes (2005) User Reviews

youth springs eternal

[rogerothornhill27 · 8/10 · 12 December 2005]

A huge festival like Kuma is complicated enough to make sense, so India is something to be experienced. Paula Fouce's documentary puts more attention on the practices of Sadus, yogis, babas, nagas and those hermits that continue the ancient and traditional austerities for clarity.

Think about it. In western minds—to prove one's spirituality—is overly complicated, while these holy men live simply, and use their time on earth to harmonize with her rhythms. To western thinkers, these acts of austerity are amazing or odd.

Some wonderful things I remember: A yogi explains "God sends us back to earth because someone might benefit from our knowledge or experience. Youth itself is a form of God." As a Sadu in the Ganges explains "The flow of life is eternal. Man uses a vessel to carry the Ganges for his flow, as man is a vessel for God."

And about other reviewers who comment how everyone "is nude and often covered in ashes". Isn't this obvious from the title? If people are too prudish to purview penises, then they will miss the point entirely and should go pray in their pews for redemption.

Excellent edits and beautiful choices of music with moods in the stories; this film is very sincere about the spiritual quest for less materialism.

Come Prepared

[cadmandu · 9/10 · 4 December 2005]

I've heard a lot about the sadhus of India, and always wanted to get to the Kumbha Mela, a religious festival which happens every 12 or so years, but this was my first opportunity to see any of that at all. This is a very good movie, but it needs to be approached differently from your average flick. For one thing it's a documentary. The other thing is, this is a documentary about something which is notoriously difficult to film; the spiritual life. So we have Leilapostgrad commenting here that it's a stupid waste of time, which for her, it was. There's lots going on in this film that you're just not going to get any sense of from watching the screen. These sadhus are powerful people, and they are the cultural backbone of Indian society; as they mention briefly in the movie, once these guys are gone, Indian culture will be dead. It's quite true. They maintain the shrines, take in abandoned children, perform healings, and generally attend to the spiritual needs of the masses. This is vital to Indian society, and indeed in most places in the world it is a similar story. The renunciates and spiritual folks serve the needs of the people. Like Tibet (before the Chinese.) Like Thailand. Like Africa.

But since this a film about intangibles, that aspect is difficult to see. So if you don't have any background in the culture, this is going to be a very flat experience for you.

What impressed me the most: The general happiness of these men. Just watching them put me at ease and lifted my spirits. The fact that they live on almost no food at all, that sure impressed me cause they're mostly all in good shape, climb mountains, etc. The walking on snow was the least of it.

I was also impressed by the sheer numbers of humanity. A billion Indians in the country. 13 million sadhus. A couple of million at the Kumbha Mela. Yikes! So see this film, if you're prepared. Otherwise you'll be feeling ripped off and outraged like Little Miss Postgrad.

Excellent and Informative!

[tipsnstuff · 10/10 · 6 December 2005]

This movie shows what it's really about to be a Yogi and what it really takes to be a Yogi. As a big Yoga fan myself, I never realized how true it is what real Yogis sacrifice in order to be a true Yogi. We read these things and chuckle. If all of us would only have a tenth of their discipline, the world would be a better place. I loved this film. It was so fascinating, very well written, and awesome all around. The people are beautiful and the scenery is breath taking. My next trip may be to India, who knows..... You know when people say "mind over matters". That is so true. You can see in this movie how the Yogis are able to set their mind to accomplish something, even if it seems so unreal to us. They have much better focus and will power than we do. I have a lot of respect for that and this film made me re-think the way I think and the way I act. I sure hope that there will be more movies like this as I am convinced that watching these kind of movies, esp. when created so beautifully, can only better a person.

Amazing!

[BSkiG · 10/10 · 2 December 2005]

This is a great documentary about the lifestyle of the Yogi, or Hindu Holy Men. The movie follows a few of these men around for what seems to be around a year, through which one gains a better understanding of why they live the way they do. You not only learn about Hindu religion, but also about a connection to God, nature, and the great "Ganga" river which is at the core of everything.

Throughout the movie you see amazing footage of what these people have learned to endure through powerful meditation as well as the Yogi's most sacred rituals. One slowly begins to understand why walking naked, being covered in ashes, and managing to separate mind from body is so important to these people. You also see the impact they have on those who believe in them as well as the way they interact with each other.

I would recommend watching "Naked in Ashes," not only to gain a better understanding of Hinduism but also to see how these men's true love has enabled them to do unthinkable things.

Excellent!!

[colesmommie · 10/10 · 4 May 2006]

I loved it and it made me realize that it's time for some of us to think a bit more, work on our discipline and make more sacrifices....we are way too spoiled.... Not that we all have to be like that, but it's amazing what discipline they have, what they give up in order to follow their believes, how open minded they still are, how they don't have all the problems we have...and not to forget the beautiful scenery, and these beautiful people...yes, why not unite and take a big bath together....I think it would be nice if we could be doing something together without judgement....Great film!! I also saw Paula Fouce's film Origins Of Yoga which I liked a lot as well as I am practicing yoga and that's a must-see for Yoga practitioners. I can highly recommend both these films and I can't wait for the next one. I saw a trailer on their website, it's called By Many Names and features the Dalai Lama. I hope it will come out soon.

The simple yet complicated life of Yogi's.

[bonniesorensen · 10/10 · 29 April 2015]

This film shows the everyday life of The Yogi's and Sadu's of India. It's extremely interesting and informative. It continues on where Origins of Yoga: Quest for the Spiritual documentary leaves off. The producer of these documentaries, Paula Fouce, is very knowledgeable of the life of the Yogi's and Sadu's and shares her knowledge with the viewer as if you are there. As with all of Paula's documentaries they are so interesting that you want to view them more than once. She shows the very details of the lives of Yogi's and Sadu's. It's hard to look away from them, because you might miss an important part of the story. I recommend it very highly!

behind the curtain look at a fascinating culture

[stevens-53363 · 10/10 · 6 March 2017]

Illuminating. Thoughtful presentation of these fantastic holy men, blending storytelling with visuals that are stunning . We all know a little about the yogis, but this film took us to the home fires and festivals where we see their influence and devotion. LOVED this documentary. More from this Director, please!

Interesting and Informative!

[krystle-klein · 10/10 · 6 December 2016]

If you've ever wanted a deeper understanding of Yogis and sadhus, this film will take you there. It's incredible to experience these Yogis daily practices and self-discipline, and gain insight into their beliefs. The film is beautifully shot and written, and takes viewers on a journey through a world that we wouldn't normally have access to. A unique and fascinating story about the deeply spiritual, highly committed world of the Yogi, it is a truly interesting piece of art, and even if you're not a yogi yourself, you will still be mesmerized by this world. The filmmaker made sure to spend a quality amount of time with each person, in order to bring the viewer a full understanding of their beliefs, rituals and practices, so that viewers have a first-hand account of what it takes to be sadhu.

Austin Movie Show review - amateur, unfocused, and uninteresting

[leilapostgrad · 3/10 · 27 November 2005]

India has a population of 1 billion people. 13 million of those people are considered holy men (or "yogis"). Naked In Ashes is a documentary about all of them. We only actually meet a handful of Hindu Yogis, and from these few examples we're supposed to learn how wise and spiritually superior these men are. I know that as an anthropologist I'm not supposed to judge other cultures, just observe their similarities and differences to my own culture. I tried to be an objective observer, but I couldn't help it. I did not like these men, and I wasn't impressed with their lives or lifestyles at all. And I actually felt pity for the poor souls who worshiped these men.

The yogis depicted in this film wore little-to-no clothing (they were naked and covered in ashes, hence the title), they lived in poverty, none of them had jobs or did anything of value, and they lived off the handouts of others. And yet somehow, one of them managed to have a TV and cell phone. They talked a lot, but they had nothing of value to say. They didn't read spiritual books or seek spiritual guidance because they all assumed they already knew everything about the meaning of life.

I was, however, impressed when one of the yogis walked (naked and without shoes) through the snow and ice covered Himalaya Mountains. I couldn't do that. I also couldn't pull a car for a mile with my penis (not that I have a penis). Yes, you actually see an old man wrap his penis around a staff and pull a car! That was impressive.

But even with footage like that, Naked In Ashes is still not worth the price of a ticket. It's amateur, unfocused, and uninteresting. If you're looking for a movie about the meaning of life, might I suggest a Monty Python movie instead?

Naked in Ashes is informative but misguided

[ward-44 · 3/10 · 12 December 2005]

I don't know what I really expected when I went to see this documentary. I guess I was intrigued because I read "Be Here Now" by Ram Das about 25 years ago. Regardless, I am glad that I saw the film "Naked in Ashes", which appears to be an honest and thorough depiction of the lives and ideologies of a few of India's yogis. I say "appears" simply because I have no firsthand experiences of India to compare against.

"Naked in Ashes" truly appears to be honest.

However, unlike the makers of "Naked in Ashes", who hold these yogis in revered awe, I found these yogis to be crackpots – extremely eccentric, with absolutely unrealistic thoughts and feelings about actual existence. And that was an informative and worthwhile experience for me.

To give an American illustration, there are many men and women in the United States committed to religion, theology, spirituality, etc. And I'm confident that most of them are honest, hardworking, true believers and pledged to serving their fellow man. But no reasonable person in the United States is going to give awed reverence to a homeless man or woman standing on the street corner shouting "The apocalypse is at hand!"

The yogis in "Naked in Ashes" were uneducated. That is, except for superstition handed down from mentor to seeker over generation to generation. The yogis kept saying that they wanted to help humanity, but rarely interacted with the public. They said that their goal was to be free from physical desires, but they routinely expressed unabashed pride. For example, "We only eat food from villages. We don't eat food from big cities."

There were examples of surprising accomplishments, but the accomplishments were more in the characteristic of Ripley's Believe it or Not, than miraculous. For example, a man kept right arm straight above his head for 13 years. Truly an amazing act, but of no real service to humanity.

Finally, there were no examples of the mysticism in "Naked in Ashes". There were no examples of true connections with the divine. Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" is more inspirational and empowering.

This movie revolved around a young boy who followed a 5,000 year old path. He was instructed by masters of an ancient tradition to finally become a Naga Baba, a yogi.

[user-723-726728 · 27 June 2013]

This was a documentary that was so inspiring and enlightening as well to a certain extent. I am a Hindu but I didn't know anything much about how Sadhus were and their lifestyles until I watched this film. When I thought about Sadhus, the first thing that would pop up in my head would be "ascetic people who have renounced luxuries in life". This is indeed true, yogis renounce all the luxuries and lead a simple life without worldly pleasures but the thought that how hard it is to sustain that life never really occurred to me. How did they stay so strong with their beliefs? What was it really that they were searching, what were they missing? New questions popped in my head as I watched this movie. This movie revolved around a young boy who followed a 5,000 year old path. He ultimately become a Naga Baba, a yogi. A must watch film.