Description
Koyaanisqatsi is an immersive visual poem devoid of dialogue, characters, and traditional narrative structure. The film takes us to various corners of the United States in the 1980s, showing how modern technology and urbanization affect people and the world around them, gradually replacing nature.
“ko.yaa.nis.qatsi” in the Hopi language means “life out of balance,” “chaotic life,” “life falling apart,” or “a state of life that requires the creation of new conditions for existence”—that is, a state of the world that has lost its harmony. It is precisely this existential sensation, set to the rhythm of Philip Glass’s hypnotic music, that is conveyed in Godfrey Reggio’s film.
This cult postmodern “urban symphony,” which was ahead of its time, resonates with particular poignancy today.