5 - Juxtaposition and Storytelling

Written by Marcus Tappert & Shawn Urquhart

Juxtaposition and Storytelling: Samsara, By Ron Fricke

A diverse reality

        A film can be many things. Exciting, frightening, sad, up-lifting. It can try and make a point, or simply tell a story. Many documentary films focus on a viewpoint, an idea, and use a combination of narration, dialogue, images, and scenes to drive this point across to the viewer. It is the films that do not attempt to make a point, that can really demonstrate the truth. Films such as Samsara and Baraka, in an attempt to simply demonstrate reality through beautiful imagery, ignite a deeper, more profound story in viewers, because the film allows each viewer to determine what they would really like to see.

        It is important to understand that films such as these simply provide the basic tools that one may use to come to a truth. These include subtle background imagery, the juxtaposition of specific shots, the rising and lowering tempo and depth of the music. Therefore, the filmmakers guide the viewers in a way that they hope to bring about a clarity or an emotion. They allow the viewer to ride along on the rollercoaster that is the grand mix of imagery and music. 

Imagery and Tools in Samsara

        In a film such as Samsara and Baraka, the imagery is the narrator, the protagonist, the antagonist, the supporting characters and the extras. Many people could respond to the film in different ways. One such way is the closed response, where they do not connect with the style. Another is the aesthetic response, where the viewers connect with the beauty of the images. The other responses are more reflective, and bring about feelings like a need for change, a lament for the past, or a period of internal questioning. These are the political response, the nostalgic response, and the critical response, respectively. 

        Juxtaposition of images and music is one of the greatest tools used by Fricke in Samsara. He uses imagery such as women in burqas and niqābs followed by images of barely clothed Abercrombie and Fitch models to highlight the differences of world, how vastly different human cultures have come to be. On the other hand, there are images that are placed together that supplement one another, like the dunes of the skeleton coast, the sun rising on Petra, and the hundreds of Indian temples. The beauty in these images serves to illuminate the collective treasure that must be shared by the billion forms of life that inhabit it. 

        Juxtaposition in the imagery is also used to subtly bring certain emotions to the surface of specific imagery. The Kuleshov effect demonstrates that an image can easily be interpreted differently depending on the image before it. Viewers will derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential thoughts than a single shot in isolation (Kuleshov Effect). For example, a blank face could be interpreted as hungry if there was an image of food before it, lustful if a beautiful woman or man came before it, or sad if there was an image of a dead woman. This is closely related to the idea of paradigmatic and syntagmatic imagery. This is the relationship between an image’s distinctive qualities and the relationship amongst it’s elements.

        Fricke uses many different dimensions of film editing to produce his film the way he wished it to be viewed. These include spatial relations, which relates two images thought similarity or difference, temporal relations, which is the use of time in the images (film time and reality), graphic relations, which constitutes the images’ style, and rhythmic relations, which involves the screen-time of images. 

        Samsara is a film that used all the elements described above to create a powerful, visually stunning and thought provoking film based entirely on imagery and music. Ron Fricke takes the viewer on a journey of discovery, both physical and cognitive. The seemingly random sequence of images, ranging from panoramic shots of the Namibian Skeleton Coast, to the static shots of a sex doll factory, and a dance in an Indonesian prison, can be interpreted as just that: random. Other viewers may see the poetry behind the images. Fricke tells many stories that could come together to create one idea. He documents devastation such as Louisiana after hurricane Katrina, specific tribes in rural Africa, food production and consumption, waste, beauty, hardships, and other human realities. Samsara is just that. A story of mankind. 

Baraka (1993)

        The documentary Baraka, directed by Ron Fricke, is spectacular and visually stunning; like the documentary Samsara.  The film brings you on a journey through different worlds, different countries, and different cultures. Whether it be the Caiapó Village in the State of Pará, Brazil, or the jaw dropping  Shan Cheragh Mosque in Shiraz, Iran. In addition to the beauty of the images, Baraka documents some very important issues in the modern world such as deforestation. This is fitting as “Baraka” is Arabic and refers to the spiritual essence of God that is all things, including people, forests, buildings, ideas… Fricke recorded a portion of a ceremony of the Caiapó people, which involved the people dancing in sync with one another in a euphoric state. The next image was a shot of a massive tree in the rainforest being cut down. Following this image, Fricke cut to the image of who appeared to be the leader of the tribe, with a completely blank expression on his face. Though it was a neutral expression, the context of the scene right before made it look as though he was disappointed and somewhat angry. Deforestation is a very large problem in certain areas of the world, and it does not only harm the environment, but humans as well, because we are all one with the environment, as highlighted in the name of the film. 

        Baraka also means “blessings, breath of life” in Swahili, or Sufi (Baraka). The film captures the best and worst parts of human life. Everything from the busy streets of Tokyo and Manhattan, the Mecca pilgrimage and dancing in Bali, to calm, relaxing images of religious rituals in Jerusalem and India. As well, there are incredible shots of nature, ranging from intriguing shots of curious geckos, to thunderous shots of powerful volcanoes, and beautiful images and time-lapses of mountains, weather, and many others. Similarly to Samsara, Fricke uses the juxtaposition of images and the film editing dimensions of spatial, temporal, graphic and rhythmic relations to form poetry of human existence through his stunning images.

        It is difficult to pull out specific issues among the film because of how it is simply Fricke’s attempt at capturing life. However, many of the “issues” it raises could be interpreted as being the scenes of destruction and suffering caused by humans, such as deforestation and the vast gap in the standard of living between different cultures. However, it is difficult to argue that a sequence of shots covering the favela in Rio de Janeiro is an issue, because that is not Fricke’s goal. He documents a scene like this not for an ulterior motive, but simply for the image’s sake. 

The unbiased reality of being

        Both of these documentaries have come closest to capturing the reality of human existence than almost any other film. They are extremely eye-opening, capturing the spectacular physical geography of the world, the beauty of humans themselves, and the reality of the human existence. Samsara and Baraka portray the negative, neutral, and positive aspects of human life, and there are so many of them. As social beings, we get multiple different snapshots into other human cultures, giving us a taste of what is out there and establish questions that we never knew existed within us. The filmmakers Fricke and Magidson manage to make the viewer feel as if they are taking part in the scene, that is is incredibly personal. The incredible music and cinematography play a large role in this.  The comparison and contrast between images in both films makes us question what we really know, think about the roots of our lives. For example, the food and appliance production scenes in Samsara allow westerners to really think about the labour that goes in to what makes their lives a reality. Additionally, the spirituality of others portrayed in both films is extremely eye opening to a culture that is slowly becoming increasingly materialistic and secular.

        The unbiased basis for the images is the real factor that makes this film so unique and different. It forces viewers to think critically of the images. It pairs this with stunning imagery which conjure up wonder and excitement in the viewer. Fricke wanted to reach out and break the limitations of language, culture, and religion (Fricke Interview). He did, and in a genius way. By making  both films without any voice-over or narrative, it allows any person anywhere, that speaks anything language, to watch this documentary and understand it, whether the viewer actually understands the message depends on whether they can piece together meaning of each image seen. Samsara is the Sanskrit word for the ever turning wheel of life. The idea of the ever turning idea of life raises another relevant point portrayed in both films. No matter where you are, what language is spoken, or how you get to work, humans are all the same. Everyone, regardless of culture and place, experiences pain & suffering, health & happiness, fear & anguish, calmness & pleasure. The plethora of feelings and emotions is a universal truth, and that truth is what unites us as beings.

The canvas of the future 

        Samsara and Baraka use stunning imagery and spectacular music to convey a truth. Human existence is an incredible feat of diversity, beauty, love, innovation, spirituality, power, suffering, and collectiveness. The viewer is carried throughout the world, experiencing what feels like first hand accounts of human existence. 

        Different editing tools such as relating different components of the film spatially, graphically, temporally and rhythmically allow the films to completely entrap the viewer into Fricke’s poetry. The juxtaposition of images paired with the combination of rhythmic music and sequences of shots creates a poem unlike any other. The diversity of the images portray as true a world as possible, using many different cinematographic techniques, such as still-shots and time-lapses. 

        As Samsara and Baraka portray the world as it is, one must question the future. What can be changed for the better? What can be done to limit the amount of negativity in the world? How do our actions affect others? Because realistically, the world is small and we’re all incredibly interconnected, yet we’re so distant from one another.