The Qatsi Trilogy Koyaanisqatsi (1982) https://trakt.tv/movies/koyaanisqatsi-1982 Powaqqatsi (1988) https://trakt.tv/movies/powaqqatsi-1988 Naqoyqatsi (2002) https://trakt.tv/movies/naqoyqatsi-2002

If _Koyaanisqatsi_ translates to “Life out of balance,” this could’ve been called “life.” Maybe “life elsewhere,” but I guess that would depend upon where the viewer is situated. Instead, naturalist filmmaker Godfrey Reggio has opted for _Powaqqatsi_, which is a little trickier. The film’s end card defines this as a sort of parasitic life, but promotional materials have opted for the more pleasing “life in transformation” or “life in transition.” That all seems unnecessary, though, as any hint of parasites, transformation or transition are only loosely implied. Even more loosely than the themes in _Koyaanisqatsi_, and most of those are already left to the viewer. Besides the two short-lived cutaways to mashed up TV commercial footage, which are strange and out-of-place, our primary focus is on the day-to-day of third worlders. We see them at work, at play, at worship and on their commutes. Our gaze shifts from Asia to Africa, urban slum to fishing village, arid expanse to lush mountaintop garden. These people don’t live alike, but from a western perspective, they live _differently_. It can be a grounding experience to step back and recognize that. This single thought quickly grows repetitive, though. Where the original film was very well-paced, gently transitioning between complicated themes with grace and confidence, _Powaqqatsi_ seems reluctant to move off its first talking point. Or anti-talking point, as it were, since there’s no dialogue or narration in these films. The cinematography is sharper, with better equipment allowing for longer exposures from greater distances, but it’s less inspired. I could count a dozen different shots that took my breath away in the first _Qatsi_. Here, there might be one or two. Likewise, the music is less powerful and influential. I was surprised to discover it was still composed by Philip Glass, because it’s so starkly different. Where _Koyaanisqatsi_ is a vast feast for thought and senses, _Powaqqatsi_ is just a morsel. Waiter, I think you forgot the rest of my order.

They say that a picture tells a thousand words, this tells a million words!