The Frame

Godfrey Reggio’s first “-qatsi” film was Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance, a dazzling display of images and music (by Philip Glass) comparing the quiet beauty of nature with the hectic pace of modern life. Powaqqatsi: Life in Transformation takes the theme a bit further, again using only images and music to show the effect of western modernization on developing nations, specifically in terms of the mechanization of work (the “cog in the wheel” mentality). It doesn’t work nearly so well as Koyaanisqatsi. The earlier film was beautiful, whether or not you agreed with its implicit message or even if you could discern the message in it. Powaqqatsi is not really beautiful (though it does have its moments) and its point is incoherent. The third film in the series, Nagoyqatsi, is about the nature of war, I think, but with the falloff of quality between Koyaanisquatsi and Powaqqatsi, I’m not terribly excited about it.
Below Average