Baraka: A Silent Masterpiece

Movie’s Name: Baraka Directed by: Ron Fricke Produced By: Mark Madigson Written By: Constantine Nicholas & Genevieve Nicholas Music By: Michael Stearns Release Date: 1992 Running time: 96 minutes

Baraka is an ancient Sufi word, when translated means ‘a blessing’. This movie is no ordinary everyday movie that one watches but is a silent masterpiece. Baraka has no plot, actors, dialogues or subtitles thus entitling this movie to be watched anywhere by anyone. The movie is a breathtaking journey through six continents and twenty-four countries. The rich cinematography and sensuous music compels the viewer to know more. The film offers no answers but many questions. It is up to us to perceive it in our own way and come up with our own conclusions. The movie may seem to be a wondrous jigsaw but it all does fit together to make perfect sense.

Baraka illustrates the basic elements of earth which are air, fire, water and land and how these are used in various ways by several people in different places. The movie shows an antithesis to any situation thus maintaining a balance on mother earth but yet at most times this balance is not equally shared, causing bedlam.

The movie also depicts how man has evolved from Stone Age to today’s digital world. But in the process of advancement, mankind has let machines take control of their emotions, making their lives more mechanical and monotonous. People throughout the world are becoming more materialistic day by day and are forgetting the basic fruits of life itself.

The beauty of the movie Baraka is that it targets no particular audience. It tries to convey a message without any words concentrating on the visual representation thus offending no one. It also shows that even though we are all so different in our own very ways, yet we are all the same. Baraka is indeed a one true blessing by itself as it makes the viewer acknowledge the value of life and how an individual must stop to savor each ‘blessing’ in ones life before its too late.

View trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYZ8RWqqicQ