Baraka is a non-verbal documentary filmed in 1992 by Ron Fricke. It has no script, no actors and no voice-over. I was expecting the movie to be tedious. However, the information the movie expressed to the audience is profound. The footage focused on landscapes, nature, churches, ancient infrastructures, religious ceremonies and cities which showed the various daily life of human.
The movies used a lot of contrast to demonstrate different aspects of the world. There was footage of calmed and peaceful scenes such as the stars and waterfalls. While the audience were amazed by the serenity of our world, the camera took a different direction and showed us how nature had been changed by man. The footage on developed cities, rockets, machines, and other high technologies make the audience wonder, have we over-consume natural resources and destroyed the peacefulness on earth? People who are benefited by technologies live an advanced and powerful life. On the other hand, there are also many innocent people who suffer under war. Their homes are bombed and their families are destroyed. To them, technology is a cruel monster.
Another fascinating contrast was about cultural expression. In this chapter, there was a shot of a complex tattoo on a Japanese gangster whom was bathing. In comparison, tribal children and adults used colorful paint to decorate their half-naked bodies. Two different cultures shared completely different views on religion and beliefs but expressed themselves in similar ways. The bathing man and the tribal people were empowered by the elaborate patterns on their bodies. Those body art reminded them of their identity and their cultural heritage. This scene was such a good contrast to my Chinese culture. In Chinese culture, people are not supposed to expose their body in public, especially women. We will never paint our bodies with bright colors in order to show respect to our culture. Instead, we would wear colorful and