Samsara

Co-conceived and co-edited by producer Mark Magidson and cinematographer-director Ron Fricke, this wordless dialogue between humanity and eternity is a natural extension of the duo's earlier works: just another nonverbal, non-narrative survey of cultural and natural and industrial wonders of the world, shot on 70-millimeter film in 25 countries over the course of five years. Its title is the Sanskrit word for “the ever-turning wheel of life,” which should be said to include death and rebirth. Samsara is a film that seems equally inspired by grounded planetary exploration as by the most cosmic bits of 2001, or what you'd get from Terrence Malick were he brave enough to just ditch the the notion of plot altogether. Not for everyone, but certainly a reward for the receptive.