👀 Primal poetry in motion

#106 | Godfrey chronicles the destructions of man

In my first year of college, a professor teaching us about timelapse introduced us to a cult classic with a notoriously difficult-to-pronounce name. Watching this film ignited a passion for cinema that quite changed my life. I finally realised what people mean when they say a particular film is destined for the large screen.

The filmmaker, Godfrey Reggio, is the reigning Prince of experimental cinema. His work explores the capacity of visuals to express or translate reality while leaving it to the viewer to engage with them as they choose.

The world of social media is full of hyper-lapse and slow-mo videos, addictive and easy on the eye. The first of Reggio’s Qatsi trilogy, Koyaanisqatsi, is a compelling collection of psychedelic beauty. The second, Powaqqatsi, explores indigenous communities across the global south, and the third, Naqoyqatsi, shows a post-society through visuals. 

Together these films are a tapestry of eccentric visuals to which you cannot help but react primally. The best analogy I can offer is skipping stones on a lake to make it ripple – in Reggio’s film, the stones are the imagery, and you the lake. 

If you want my two bits, ignore the ”ideas” and immerse yourself in this visual feast, made even more otherworldly by Phillip Glass’s ominous score. Add these oddballs to your watchlist and let their poetry wash over you. 

Yours,
Nikita