Koyaanisqatsi is a 1982 environmental film directed and produced by Godfrey Reggio and the first of his trilogy. It does not necessarily have a cast, excluding the hundreds of civilians that commute throughout the backgrounds. Furthermore, there is essentially no dialogue, apart from an ominous accelerando hum of the minimalist composition by Phillip Glass. The title of this movie is a Hopi Native American term indicating a “life out of balance.”
1 By comparing and contrasting time lapse footage of nature and technology, and civilizations both urban and rural, the director conveys the self-deterioration of humankind that eventually (or supposedly) will lead to its downfall. The Earth can only find salvation should its inhabitants acquire the aforementioned balance.
However, while praised by critics for decades, I personally did not enjoy the film, or at least acquire the experience it wished to convey. As is the case with many environmental movies, there is a surprising amount of driving and resource consumption done which seems counterintuitive to their message. It is unsurprising whenever one of these movies, intentionally or not, runs into a cliché, as there are only so many methods and directions to convey the “green” idea that is the very reason for their existence. In such an event, there are numerous methods to parody or overcome these clichés, but I feel as if Koyaanisqatsi did not succeed in such a challenge. Of course, released in the 1980’s this movie predates many of those that did exploit these tropes, so at this point it is a matter of viewing it at an artistic point. While many would disagree, I feel it does not succeed in this field either. On the other, I do believe that the imagery presented in the movie does express an existential message, just not the one that was intended by the director.
One of the first series of shots is of canyons throughout the world. Some of them have their own unique structures untouched by civilization, whereas others have series of roads carved into to them. While these landscape routes appear majestic, they also prove dangerous whenever the weather worsens, since rockslides, landslides, and earthquakes ruin these roads, possibly taking the lives of those who traverse them.
Afterwards is footage of bodies of water from rivers to oceans. Initially the waters are calming and shining, but gradually become more vicious and rapid. To me this conveys the message that something gentle can even turn to hostile when agitated, which even people can relate to.
A dam, known as a renewable energy source, then explodes, and the smog slowly disappears to reveal a power plant with a series of electric power lines, hardly renewable at all. Now technology seems to thrive more than nature. While a few prefer to relax on the beach, many tourists heading to the nearby power plant for entertainment.
Next is a scene that depicts several airplanes turning around in the water. This concept, along with the accompanying music, seems rather absurd to me, but I realized that it would make far more sense if they were swans or geese instead.
After several sequences of explosions and accidents, the movie cuts to a town in shambles and disrepair. I think this exhibits while the environment can grow again, cities and other establishments must be renovated or replaced.
The buildings would continuously become taller and whenever this was no longer an option, delve further underground as seen with the footage of crowded subways. Every square inch of property can be utilized somehow in the eyes of a businessperson.
The next several minutes depicts the continuous cycle of people going about their daily routines, from assembly lines, to office jobs, to traffic on highways.
Since American civilization has developed a 24/7 work schedule, this never comes to a halt no matter how many times the sun and moon rise and set.
Advertisements prevalent in this film like Oscar Meyer and Kentucky Fried Chicken, are examples of subliminal imagery to the public. Even stranger was seeing the assembly line for Twinkies, which are infamously now “extinct” due to the closing of Hostess. Inside the mall customers play video games such as Ms. Pac-Man, as well as the lesser known Defender, Turbo, and Q*Bert. This is a prime example of how nature is never considerably outdated, yet fashions and brand name industries come and go.
Eventually, the span of shopping, working, and commercials becomes so rapid that after a simulated overheat, the film silences with vacant, still imagery. Then there are scenes of people taking either food or cigarette breaks, in my opinion indicating that the stress has overwhelmed them. The film ends with the shuttle from earlier finally lifting off, exploding, and ultimately falling back towards the ground where it began. It seems to me that is this is supposed to indicate that one day humanity will fall right back to where it first started: alone, hungry, and afraid of nature.
Even though I disagree with the belief that Koyaanisqatsi is a masterpiece, I do agree that there are meanings that a viewer can interpret on their own. The movie is more a compilation of footage rather than a scripted and structured film, so it is a subjective manner upon the significance and idea of these clips. The order and parallel with the music simply serves as a prompt to let the imagination draw its own conclusion. It is common to enjoy only certain parts of a movie or from a completely different viewpoint than the columnists assign.
1 Koyaanisqatsi- Life out of Balance, 12 May 2012, <http://www.koyaanisqatsi.org/films/koyaanisqatsi.php>.
