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Baraka

Baraka

1992
Documentary
1h 36m
A movie with no conventional plot: merely a collection of expertly photographed scenes. Subject matter has a highly environmental theme (imdb)
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Baraka

1992
Documentary
1h 36m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 74.76% from 1731 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(1731)
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Compact view
Rated 10 Nov 2015
37
34th
As if someone saw Koyaanisqatsi, thought "Anyone could do this," and set out to prove himself spectacularly wrong. The whole thing is less "cinematic essay" or "tonal poem" than impressively shot travelogue, suggesting connections through editing either cloying (people are the same everywhere!), tone-deaf (oof, that Auschwitz part), or both. The haphazardly episodic structure doesn't help, as Fricke bounces between romanticizing nature/spiritualism and a neutered critique of modernity.
Rated 08 Apr 2009
70
42nd
i give up i cant fucking find waldo
Rated 09 Jul 2007
3
61st
Visually stunning, but I really must question the message here. Is it sad that some traditional cultures are lost due to the endless "quest for new markets" that is a cornerstone feature of middle capitalism? Naturally. But the film appears to suggest a frustratingly anti-modernist blind alley as the alternative.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
40
26th
I saw this many years ago, but my recollection is that it was far inferior to KOYAANISQATSI, and that my overwhelming impression was of a tedious and very empty fetishisation of exoticism. I recall in particular a seemingly endless series of images of one extraordinarily-costumed individual kneeling, motionless (yet in slo-mo), in a crowded city street filled with busy passersby, as exemplifying this movie's interminable, aggravating and fraudulent essence.
Rated 21 Jun 2008
60
9th
flabby. sentimentalizing, cheezy. treats religious rites of other cultures in a way I found icky, like it was "terribly special" or somehting.
Rated 14 Sep 2012
3
32nd
You can get the same experience by going on a tour on google earth, loading up your favorite Enya album, and paying an obnoxious fucking asshole to stand over you to preach about environmentalism and mass production. The person who compared this to Herzog should be shot.
Rated 15 May 2009
85
84th
A baboon sits in a jacuzzi and dreams about the entire world.
Rated 21 Jan 2014
70
65th
Compared to 'Koyaanisqatsi', the cinematography makes this a more meditative experience. Of the three, my favorite is probably 'Samsara', which is very similar to 'Baraka', but this might be merely because that was the one I watched first. I can recommend all three. And they, of course, absolutely demand to be seen on big screens.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
81st
Impressive visual story of mankind with good music, sometimes maybe too spectacular. But worth seeing anyway.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
95
86th
The world, singular objects within that world. Patterns of nature.
Rated 28 Oct 2008
8
78th
It's no Koyaanisqatsi, but it's moving, elegant and directed with an assured hand. Quite an experience in the end, inspires me to travel more.
Rated 17 Sep 2009
94
96th
One of the strongest images is the automobile chocked arteries of a city, sped up to blistering speed, synched with the sound of breathing. Stunning stuff.
Rated 20 Oct 2009
100
99th
Simply magnificent - one of the greatest achievements in combining MUSIC with PICTURE !!! It moves my soul
Rated 24 Jan 2010
77
46th
A.K.A National Geographic Screensavers. Some amazing images, but ultimately it's sort of a film to watch while doing something else.
Rated 28 May 2013
60
16th
Some fascinating images. Not particularly meaningful, compelling, or convincing as a complete statement though. Not to mention I don't think this concept stands up to a feature length film. It just eventually gets boring and unrewarding to ask questions about these images without getting any answers.
Rated 30 Sep 2013
40
32nd
This is not so much a movie as a collection of interesting and odd scenes. It is worth watching, but is not as entertaining as many have suggested. There does not seem to be a central theme and appears to be randomly arranged. It is mostly aimless but offers a rare look at bizarre events and activities around the world. I seems to be shining a spotlight on the utter stupidity of many cultural and religions practices and various living conditions.
Rated 07 Jul 2007
100
95th
I get lost in the imagery every time I watch it. Very hypnotic and beautiful.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
67
59th
Interesting and enjoyable.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
85
84th
Much better than Koyaanisqatsi. One striking image after another -- kind of like a dozen Werner Herzog movies, minus the storylines, compressed into one film.
Rated 30 Nov 2008
70
77th
Beautiful imagery from around the world.

http://www.spiritofbaraka.com/baraka.aspx
^For some information along with images from the movie^
Rated 15 Dec 2008
97
90th
This film right here, Baraka, is a crap-yourself good documentary with visually stunning, groundbreaking and ravishing cinematography demonstrating the tame, calm and beauty of modern mother nature, and the textures it can create image by image. It possesses a very powerful strength in a quality very rarely films can produce today, neatness.
Rated 24 May 2009
81
74th
Wonderful hour-and-a-half glimpse into various locales and cultures with some absolutely gorgeous photography.
Rated 07 Aug 2009
100
99th
7/8/9 - It seems both odd and a little unfair to compare this with other films, like comparing a book of prayer or meditation with a novel. The film itself is stunning from start to finish, easily the most visually impressive thing I've ever seen. The choice of shots is perfect, and the sheer range of images is incredible. I've never been so utterly absorbed by anything as this.
Rated 28 Mar 2010
90
94th
No plot, no actors, no problem. Manages to deliver some messages without a single word uttered. Absolutely stunning cinematography with a great score to boot.
Rated 21 Sep 2010
60
11th
Blu-ray looks amazing...but boring to actually sit through.
Rated 27 Dec 2010
100
95th
(Blu-ray rewatch)
Rated 07 Jan 2011
100
88th
More than a movie
Rated 04 Aug 2011
90
93rd
A very mesmerizing and often hypnotic look into ritual, culture and the overall human experience. You'd be pretty hard pressed to find comparable videography as beautiful as what's shown here.
Rated 18 Jan 2012
85
84th
Utterly mesmerizing imagery, plus some not-so-subtle commentary on mass-production, urban squalor, and the destruction of the environment.
Rated 14 Sep 2012
4
34th
I prefer Brodyquest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygI-2F8ApUM
Rated 28 Sep 2013
100
98th
Beautiful shots and the MUSIC... just WOW! Truly amazing piece!
Rated 09 Feb 2015
80
68th
I would go so far as to say it's aesthetically perfect. Beyond that, though, it has a tendency to shout its rather odious message of "religions and native people are inherently awesome, and modern society is garbage; fuck Japan and its technology, we should all be monks and bathe in the disgusting contaminated water of the Ganges." And that's not cool.
Rated 31 Dec 2019
45
18th
A movie of half the subreddits I follow, but less entertaining.
Rated 01 Dec 2020
75
16th
I mean.... This isn't really a movie. I did yoga poses.
Rated 30 Jul 2022
50
17th
I watched this first and then koyannisqauski & this is garbage compared to it. The music is garbage. And the entire point of the film is to show humanity, religion and culture, yet i did not see the west or christianty at all. It only showed asia and primitive tribes which was only insulting as that is not at all a representation of the planet, the film to me only showed barbarity of these cultures like with the indians drinking water where they dumped bodies and feaces. DO NOT BOTHER WATCHING!
Rated 20 Jun 2023
4
26th
While Koyaanisqatsi's emphasis on industrialized modernity elicits internal reflection and critical contemplation from the (presumably Western) audience, Baraka's indigenous, oriental, exotic imagery--presented without any religuous or cultural context-- comes off as distinctly expolitative, reducing peoples and cultures to pretty imagery for the audience to awe over.
Rated 15 Jul 2007
84
85th
Very lovely and moving.
Rated 11 Feb 2008
90
89th
Glorius in 70mm!
Rated 13 Apr 2008
82
59th
You mean I live in the same world as in this film? Gorgeous.
Rated 29 Apr 2008
70
62nd
basically a relaxation tape with a bunch of expert photographers at the helm. I don't know if this has cinematic quality, but it has quality.
Rated 02 Jun 2008
100
99th
In my opinion, one of the two best films of all time, along with Pi.
Rated 29 Jul 2008
100
96th
The cliche a picture is worth a thousand words have nothing on this movie. This documentary says more than most about environmental concerns and the psychological affects, not only on third world countries but also industrial nations. It does this completely without any dialogue.
Rated 26 Aug 2008
75
74th
Eminently enjoyable.
Rated 26 Oct 2008
100
99th
Life-altering. The best audio and visuals I've experienced.
Rated 11 Dec 2008
85
98th
I find "Baraka" extremely hard to rate. How does it compare to, lets say, "Godfather"? Or some documentary about nature? "Baraka" is all about images. Filmed all around world, it shows the places and people the way, I have never seen before. And most important, without saying a word it makes you think 'outside the box' like no other movie.
Rated 11 Jan 2009
87
87th
Not only is it visually stunning, the actual content of the images is pretty interesting as well, and I loved the scene transitions. I was a bit afraid of getting bored going in, but it kept my attention quite easily all the way through.
Rated 21 Jan 2009
10
99th
From the perspective of both a formalist and a photographer, this is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen and one of the best examples of the true power of cinema.
Rated 06 Feb 2009
30
16th
Pretty, but boring
Rated 23 Feb 2009
95
50th
It is unequaled in it's beauty, sensitivity and deep spiritual perception into this amazing world that we inhabit.
Rated 04 Mar 2009
80
96th
Moving - a powerful experience.
Rated 24 May 2009
90
97th
A journey into human world in collision with nature world. Stunning cultural representations, picturesque shots. Thank god this movie - in comparison to 'Home' (2009) - left the viewer to decide the matters provided himself.
Rated 25 May 2009
95
87th
Stunning
Rated 31 Jul 2009
100
97th
This film is what it means to be a part of the Earth.
Rated 13 Dec 2009
95
99th
If you enjoy this, I'd also recommend Koyaanisqatsi (1982), Our Daily Bread (2005), and Earth (2007).
Rated 12 Jan 2010
90
90th
Ron Fricke is a master of cinematography and Baraka is a masterpiece of moving images. I found it more compelling than Koyaanisqatsi, but your mileage may vary.
Rated 10 Jun 2010
80
68th
This sort of thing will never be as fresh and as new as it was when _Koyaanisqatsi_ first came out in 1982. Some of the novelty has worn off, but it's still two hours of nonverbal rumination on the human condition and the power and majesty of the earth... and it looks and sounds great
Rated 22 Jul 2010
95
93rd
An hour and a half of plotless images and it's engaging? Give the editor a pat on the back.
Rated 31 Jul 2010
81
66th
The theme (if you call it that) is less dramatic than Koyaanisqatsi, but it's still quite the visual overload.
Rated 10 Sep 2010
95
90th
This isn't a movie. Its fucking art.
Rated 11 Nov 2010
91
97th
Intense, and better than Koyaanisqatsi seeing as everyone has to make the comparison.
Rated 28 Dec 2010
85
90th
Stunning images, good score, made me want to travel more than I do now, and differently.
Rated 11 Jan 2011
90
99th
Eye-catching!! worthwhile Cultural-Natural work!!
Rated 16 Jan 2011
92
98th
Someday, I might hate this film. There are moments that come close to the sort of yuppie-friendly, gawking-at-the-natives features shown on the travel channel. Some of the cuts are either banal (chicks pouring down a factory chute -> people funneling onto subways -- get it?) or flippant (workers shoveling ash at a coal plant -> Auschwitz -- really?). This free association comes close to tipping the film into either a heavy-handed polemic or an empty puff piece, but also makes it powerful.
Rated 27 Jul 2011
98
99th
the state and circumstance of humanity, the setting we inhabit, completely unadulterated. any moment within infinitely re-watchable.
Rated 30 Sep 2011
90
97th
When we finally get invited into the Intergalactic League Of Alien Cultures (No Jerks Allowed), the best way of introducing the concept of 'Earth' is to show this movie and let the visuals do the talking. What an amazing collection of absolutely engrossing images. From the most beautiful to some absolutely devastating scenes, I was glued to the screen, transfixed.
Rated 12 Mar 2012
80
87th
This movie is hypnotizing, I don't know if it is really a movie: No story and no theme, but I liked it and it has a hidden narrative... I think.
Rated 19 Apr 2012
75
76th
This feels like an image-library - beautiful, but only loosely categorized. Some stunning scenes (the hand-wriggling ritual?) make it worth seeing.
Rated 03 Sep 2012
71
63rd
I have a sudden urge of traveling. Much like Koyaanisqatsi you can just sit back and look, feel and experience. There's some thinking but it's not much, it's rather pleasant. Koyaanisqatsi has much better music though, I actually got annoyed by the music here - some sort of bland "spiritual" mish mash of world music supposed to elevate some beauty. I'm not that impressed with Fricke's direction but there's no denying of this film's own power and personal charm.
Rated 04 Dec 2012
80
49th
A little too macro for my tastes. Quite ahead of its time though.
Rated 10 Jan 2013
55
20th
Could have been great if not for the moral banalities running through the movie.
Rated 24 Jan 2013
95
97th
Terrence Malick would enjoy this film. Best watched naked.
Rated 05 Apr 2013
90
95th
Mesmerizing. Just grab a beer, get comfortable and watch this visually stunning images.
Rated 14 Nov 2013
89
94th
if we can only show one work of art to explain humans to aliens, this should be it.
Rated 08 Feb 2014
75
81st
The juxtaposition of images was often quite poignant. The shots that were captured for this film are absolutely beautiful, and I really liked the camera movements within them. I'm not going to pretend the film was mind-blowing for me, but it was certainly a nice experience and I'm glad I watched it.
Rated 13 Dec 2014
65
80th
Cinematically beautiful - but more to see at the gallery than the big screen.
Rated 15 Jan 2015
90
89th
As a time lapse lover this is a real treat.
Rated 20 Aug 2015
97
98th
Seen: 2x
Rated 29 Sep 2015
5
0th
A meandrous conglomerate of which the constituent parts, each sloppily interspersed throughout the film, relative to the other parts, are at best empty in their arrangements, sharing nothing but their form and the theme of exoticism. Failed attempts to shoehorn parts in overarching visions lead to nothing but frustration.
Rated 25 Mar 2016
9
74th
Beautiful imagery occasionally disturbing like the cutting of a redwood or the remains of a concentration camp. Almost as good as Samsara. Worth every minute.
Rated 21 Apr 2016
86
96th
21.4.16
Rated 04 May 2016
95
95th
A documentary with no narration, no explicit theme, no explanation. Who would have expected something like that to work so well?
Rated 20 Aug 2016
97
99th
Every shot is breathtaking. Shows how beautiful and how ugly nature and humans can be. The music fits well too. An absolutely amazing movie that left me feeling very melancholic when it was finished.
Rated 28 Nov 2017
49
27th
there's these images man & woah, listen man, there's music & hey more images & stuff. Pass me that joint
Rated 30 Sep 2019
100
99th
Shutout to PrestoBix for suggesting this movie to me in 2017. My favorite movie. I have seen it many times and each time it amazes me.
Rated 01 Oct 2019
95
98th
Beautiful
Rated 25 Aug 2020
40
20th
remember: authenticity is a scam to sell you stuff
Rated 06 Aug 2021
84
81st
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Rated 26 Sep 2021
70
42nd
I'm not often a big fan of films like this one because I harbor the sneaking suspicion that I'm being pummeled with images in order to make a point that would collapse if the filmmaker had to articulate it in words. I did not get this feeling from this film. I think the overarching point that Fricke is making is that the world, and humanity by extension, is really quite beautiful and remarkable, sometimes in exotic places but also in the very mundane places we take for granted.
Rated 20 Oct 2021
80
86th
Documentary showing a hypnotizing journey through the world.
Rated 21 Jun 2022
92
86th
Stunning compendium of sounds and images captures the many different facets of “modern” society all around the world; most striking is the way that Fricke manages to find organic beauty and grace in each sequence, taking a god-like, probing view of each location (except perhaps the explicit, somewhat on the nose link between battery hens and riders on a subway!) Would certainly benefit from a huge (IMAX?) screen experience, but the tack-sharp cinematography is impressive on any scale.
Rated 30 Jul 2022
40
14th
A highly ambitious film, yet ultimately falls short. The music is a big let down, and the film fails to resonate on any sort of emotional level. The aesthetically beautiful photography is not enough to keep the audience engaged. The film even feels condescending at times, exoticising and fetishising Indigenous and Asian cultures, asking us to look down and pity them. The film has little to say, other than broadly pointing to the selfishness and hurt of all people. Trash compared to Koyaanisqatsi
Rated 07 Feb 2023
7
54th
There is certainly a plot to Baraka: it's the one we're all living. The filmmakers aptly apply elements of cinematography, montage, and musical direction (Michael Stearns deserves more credit than he's gotten) to deliver a poignant message about the tragedy of an increasingly fragmented world that is nonetheless destined to be interconnected.

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