Movie Mind – Samsara

You know when something gets stuck in your head, continually peeking up in your thoughts? That’s me at the moment. Weeks later, I still have ‘Movie Mind!’ Interestingly, the revisiting images reflect the Samsara cycle of the movie itself.

Sharing a world-beyond-words, Samsara is a breath-takingly film (much like its earlier sibling, Baraka) that circles the world, exploring and expressing the sights and sounds of the human condition in silent majesty. The haunting music is the only narrator as the wonders of the world are viewed through nature and humankind’s reality of chaos and harmony. Weaving together peace and savagery, Samsara highlights the delicate nature of the earth’s inhabitants.

Samsara movie monks

Filmed over five years and in twenty-five countries, Samsara transports the movie goer to sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial sites, and natural wonders, encouraging inner interpretations inspired by images that infuse the ancient with the modern. Serving like a guided meditation, Samsara’s powerful (at times very raw and bleak) imagery illuminates the links between humanity and nature, showing how our life cycle mirrors the rhythm of the planet.

Samsara is a Sanskrit word that means “the ever turning wheel of life.” The film’s common theme depicts a repetitive cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth, a natural continuous flow of creation, evolution and destruction in life. It’s as if the filmmakers are searching for the elusive current of interconnection that runs through our lives.

Samsara movie hadj

Weeks after seeing the film, the theme of connection continues to reverberate through my movie mind. Not a happy go-lucky movie, Samsara awakened and challenged some of my senses and sensabilities, sobering me to the reality of how we as humans interconnect, and how we as inhabitants interconnect with nature – as in Samsara, it’s not always a pretty sight.

How does interconnection touch your world? In what ways does it impact your life? How about some juicy questions to spark your movie mind:

• What does connection actually mean to you and how does it play out in your life?
• How do you view and nurture (or not) connection to yourself? To others? How do you choose your connection?
• Do you believe that we are all connected (humans, animals, plants, the planet, and on up to include the whole universe)? Or do you have a different point of view?
• If you believe we are all connected, then what responsibility do we have to be conscious and intentional around this? With ourselves? With other humans? With animals, plants, objects, etc.…?
• If you believe we are NOT all connected at some level, then how does that impact your participation with others (and other things) on the planet?

Love to hear your juicy connection thoughts as they ripple through your movie mind!

If you wish to check out Samsara (or it’s predecessor, Baraka), go to: http://barakasamsara.com