Powaqqatsi (1988)

Directed by

Godfrey Reggio

Genre

documentary film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 36m

Rated

G

Rating

7.3 of 10 from 183 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary has no dialogue or story. It shows images of people in developing countries and contrasts traditional lifestyles with the effects of industrialization. The film is driven by a continuous musical score by Philip Glass.

meditativevisually drivencontemplativehypnoticnon-narrativemusicalslow-pacedearthyobservational

What happens

Powaqqatsi is a 1988 American non-narrative film directed by Godfrey Reggio. It is the sequel to Reggio's experimental 1982 film Koyaanisqatsi, and the second film in Qatsi trilogy, which was followed by Naqoyqatsi (2002). The film's title is a Hopi neologism coined by Reggio meaning "parasitic way of life" or "life in transition". While Koyaanisqatsi focused on modern life in industrial countries, Powaqqatsi, which similarly has no dialogue, focuses more on the conflict in Third World countries between traditional ways of life and the new ways of life introduced with industrialization. As with Koyaanisqatsi and the third and final part of the Qatsi trilogy, Naqoyqatsi, the film is strongly related to its soundtrack, written by Philip Glass. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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