Click here to copy URL

Samsara

2011

Ron Fricke

Documentary

8.2

3,950

Documentary Filmed over a period of five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on 70mm film, "Samsara" transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.

	Author	Review
United States	A. O. Scott The New York Times	"A spool of arresting, beautifully composed shots without narration or dialogue, 'Samsara' is an invitation to watch closely and to suspend interpretation"	POS
United States	Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"An uplifting experience (...) It is a rather noble film (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United Kingdom	Philip French The Guardian	"[A compilation] of beautiful and striking images put together for suggestive and meditative effect (...) There are so many remarkable images that there is something every few seconds to provoke or please"	NEU
United States	Katie Walsh IndieWire	"It has a rhythm and flow that ebbs like the tides, and a score that pulsates with a human heartbeat."	POS
United States	Walter Addiego SFGATE	"A ravishing visual experience (...) This is well and good for devotees, but more skeptical types may find it simplistic and heavy-handed"	NEU
United States	Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune	"The movie's impressive (...) The movie's also a series of generalities and surface connections (...) Sometimes, depending on expectations, looks are enough (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Jordan Hoffman Screen Crush	"'Samsara' is such a spectacle that one can't help but cheer it along for showing such determination."	POS
United States	Ben Sachs Chicago Reader	"[It presents] one handsome sequence after another but providing no structural framework in which the imagery might resonate"	NEU
United States	Budd Wilkins Slant	"[It uses] exquisite time-lapse photography and immersive 70mm cinematography to examine manifestations of spiritual aspiration around the world (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United Kingdom	Trevor Johnston Time Out	"Fricke’s film reminds us there’s an inspiring world out there, but his approach is badly in need of creative rebirth (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 5)"	NEU

Return to movie

We encourage you to check the reviews' original sources. Intellectual property rights of these reviews belong to their authors and/or the correspondent media from which they have been extracted. If you'd like to help us to add more reviews to your favorite movies, just send us a message.

User history

Cesar Chavez

2014

Diego Luna

5.8

(171)

It's in the Blood

2012

Scooter Downey

3.3

(47)