Samsara (2011)

Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.

Director:

Ron Fricke

Writers:

Ron Fricke (concept and treatment written by), Mark Magidson (concept and treatment written by)

Stars:

Balinese Tari Legong Dancers, Ni Made Megahadi Pratiwi, Puti Sri Candra Dewi

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Balinese Tari Legong Dancers	...	Dancers: Indonesia
Ni Made Megahadi Pratiwi	...	Dancer: Valinese Tari Legong Dancers, Indonesia
Puti Sri Candra Dewi	...	Dancer: Valinese Tari Legong Dancers, Indonesia
Putu Dinda Pratika	...	Dancer: Valinese Tari Legong Dancers, Indonesia
Marcos Luna	...	Tattoo Daddy: USA
Hiroshi Ishiguro	...	Professor and Robot Clone: Japan (as Prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro)
Olivier De Sagazan	...	Man At Desk: France
Ladyboys of Cascade Bar	...	Dancers: Thailand
Kikumaru	...	Geisha: Japan
Crisanto Neire	...	Lead Singer: Cebu Provincial Detenton Center, Philippines
Robert Henline	...	U>S> Army Veteran: USA (as Staff Sergeant Robert Henline)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tai Lihua	...	Lead Dancer: 1000 Habds Goddess Dance, China (as Iai Lihua)
Collin Alfredo St. Dic	...	Himself / Cyclist (as Collin St. Dic)

Storyline

Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.

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Plot Keywords:

shanghai china | trippy | yellowstone national park | turkey the country | hall of mirrors | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some disturbing and sexual images

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Indonesia Singapore Thailand Kenya Denmark Brazil Jordan United Arab Emirates Saudi Arabia South Africa Italy Ghana Egypt China Japan Ethiopia South Korea Namibia

Language:

None

Release Date:

23 August 2012 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Самсара

Filming Locations:

Indonesia

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$105,000, 31 August 2012, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,601,847, 21 December 2012

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bali Film Center, Bang Singapore, Bullet Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (8 channels) Datasat Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

For several years the filmmakers attempted to secure permission to film in North Korea, but were ultimately denied access.

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Connections

Featured in Lucy (2014)

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Soundtracks

Bali Dance
and "1000 Hands"
Based on "Omaha Clear Skies"
From the CD "Star Songs" &copy 2010
By Bonnie Jo Hunt & Ron Sunsinger
Bonnie Jo Productions & Sunsinger Productions

User Reviews

Brilliant, but difficult to explain why

Brilliant, but difficult to explain why. No plot, no acting (well, except for one scene, but I'll come to that). So, it's a documentary then? Yes, sort of, but there is no narration, nor captions, nor even tags to let you know what or where in the world you are looking at.

In essence, it's a visual documentary on the modern world. Initially it just seems like National Geographic without any commentary: beautiful scenes of temples, nature and places you might want to go as a tourist. However, 100 minutes of random places and things could be boring after a while. Just when you start to think that might well be the case, themes start to emerge: nature, buildings, opulence vs poverty, guns/military, livestock. Pretty much everyday things, and how they are connected.

It is basically a 100-minute stream-of-consciousness exercise, using amazing, totally natural visual imagery (ie no CGI). Enjoy it for where it takes your mind, or just for the images and the drama of everyday life.

Only negative note is the one scene that isn't candid: a performance artist. Very pretentious and pointless and prevents this movie from being perfect.