When the experimental documentary "Naqoyqatsi" opens this Friday at the Amherst Theatre, it will leave viewers in awe of how technology and war have overrun everyday life.
The film is the third in the "Qatsi" trilogy by filmmaker Godfrey Reggio. Reggio dreamt up the first of the "Qatsi" films, "Koyaanisqatsi," in 1975 after spending 14 years in spiritual contemplation while studying to become a monk. In Hopi, the title of the film means "life out of balance," a theme presented to viewers with urban landscapes moving at a frightening pace, out of touch with the natural environment.
Both "Koyaanisqatsi" and 1988's "Powaqqatsi" (or "life in transformation") were acclaimed for their innovation.
Following the same techniques of the first two films, "Naqoyqatsi" also delves into the world of experimental imagery. On the film's Web site, Reggio stated that unlike "Koyaanisqatsi" and "Powaqqatsi," "Naqoyqatsi" employs a "re-animated" look, meaning he used more stock footage of everyday events, newscasts and television programs, manipulated digitally with added color, animation and speed.
It is a conceptual film, to say the least. "Naqoyqatsi's" English translation means, "war as a way of life." Reggio has divided his quasi-documentary into three sections, or "movements," as they are referred to in the film, upping the ante on pretentiousness. It is clear that if Reggio has a theme in mind, it is technology and its effects on modern life.
"Naqoyqatsi" opens with a shot of the fallen Tower of Babel, suggesting the tragic consequences of technological advancement. The next 10 minutes show destroyed buildings in a war-torn country, before giving way to the first of the film's movements, "Numerica.com." This section presents the gradual destruction of nature by technology. Images of numbers and words are hurled at the viewer, presenting the evolution from what language started as, to what it is today.
Movement two is "Circus Maximus," which depicts people's obsession with sports and games. It is apparent Reggio wants the audience to speculate why humanity is so addicted to competition, but before anyone has time to think, they're thrown into the third movement, "Rocketship 20th Century."
In the final third of the film, the viewer witnesses life as a war. Technology becomes rampant and - without spoiling any of the images - people become pawns to the media and big corporations. But Reggio does offer a glimmer of hope for the world, as little as it may be.
Laid over these images is a beautiful score by composer Phillip Glass, who is nominated for an Oscar this year for his work in "The Hours." He also composed scores for the previous "Qatsi" films.
"Naqoyqatsi" has no apparent plot and comes across more as an 89-minute music video than a film with a single, cohesive narrative. It is not until it is over that one can see how the imagery tied the film together.
Amongst his illustrations are big corporate logos followed by religious symbols, suggesting that there is no difference between the two. Reggio excels at manipulating well-known images people see on a regular basis, allowing the familiar to become frightening.
But "Naqoyqatsi" is not supposed to be taken in a single, definitive way. Each audience member's view of what Reggio set out to accomplish with this film will be somewhat different than the person next to him or her.
The film fits today's world perfectly, from the scenes of young soldiers battling in the desert, to the prophetic images of astronauts followed by shots reminiscent of the Columbia space shuttle crashing to the Earth. For a film that has been in the works for nearly 10 years, "Naqoyqatsi" hits close to home in America today.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
