The Amsterdammer

While Songs of Earth explores the connection between humans and nature on a personal and intimate scale, this theme can also be viewed from the grand perspective of humanity as a whole. There’s no question that modern humans abuse the richness of the Earth. This notion is starkly evident in the cult 1982 experimental documentary Koyaanisqatsi, featured in the festival’s Special Screenings section. Accompanied by the grandiose music of composer Philip Glass, Godfrey Reggio’s acclaimed film presents a stream of footage filmed across the United States without a traditional narrative or words whatsoever. 

The film begins by contrasting ancient pictographs from the Horseshoe Canyon with footage from the launch of the Apollo 11 mission, before focusing on the overwhelming beauty and diversity of North America’s landscapes. The cinematic journey initially hovers over untamed scenery until humanity is introduced with all its destructive power; the mining industry, artificial dams, atomic bomb detonations and finally, urbanization. The film’s imagery explores the strain that modernity puts on the planet in its rush towards modernization, industrialization and maximalization. Reggio sees evil in this cycle of progress, where humans become a mindless mass and the Earth’s resources are recklessly wasted. Yet there’s also a certain beauty in the lofty aspirations of humankind, rising with every technological advancement and each subsequent generation. The yearning to reach the stars is the modern human’s equivalent to building the Tower of Babel. However romantic the concept might sound, the reality is that it unbalances the earth, disconnecting us from the true beauty and power of nature, which cannot be found on interstate highways, in mega cities or industrial complexes. 

Beyond the personal angle of Songs of Earth and the broad picture painted by Koyaanisqatsi, there is also the mystical. This aspect is explored by Lois Patiño’s Samsara from the Paradocs section, a fictional film about the Buddhist cycle of death and reincarnation (not to be confused with the 2011 documentary of the same name, which would also fit well in this subject). The “new” Samsara takes us to the temples of Laos, where a young monk helps a dying woman prepare her soul for the journey toward rebirth in a new body. The Buddhist teachings involve paying respects to the natural environment and the animal kingdom, as being reborn as an animal is believed to be a common occurrence. 

While a large part of the film takes place in the mortal realm, it is followed by a journey through Bardo, a transitional space for souls searching for their new bodies. For this sequence, we are instructed to close our eyes, and we are presented with a fascinating audiovisual experience of flashing lights and shifting sounds. It is largely due to this segment that Samsara achieves its immense effect and becomes ingrained in the viewers’ minds and memories. It is transcendent and transformative, as long as we are willing to surrender ourselves to the power of visionary art. Upon being reborn on the island of Zanzibar, we are once again reconnected to nature, although in a different culture and among different peoples. This weaves together the diversity of the world and all living organisms, showing that every distant part of the planet is somehow interconnected. Although inherently rooted in Buddhism, this notion stands as a universal one, because, in the bigger picture, we all share the same living space.

Songs of Earth, Koyaanisqatsi and Samsara are all captivating, unconventional films that utilize cinema to reconnect us with nature and emphasize the significance of respecting the offerings of our planet, whether within our immediate surroundings or on a global scale. These films, among many other great works showcased at this year’s IDFA, underscore the immense value of cinema in shaping our perspectives on the world around us.