Powaqqatsi. 1988. USA. Directed by Godfrey Reggio. Screenplay by Reggio, Ken Richards. Original music by Philip Glass. Cinematography by Leonidas Zourdoumis and Graham Berry. 35mm. 99 min.
While Koyaanisqatsi, the first in Godfrey Reggio and Philip Glass’s Qatsi trilogy, glares at the frenzied juxtaposition of modern life and nature, its follow-up, Powaqqatsi, takes a more meditative and somber tone on a journey through the developing world. Shot primarily in Brazil, Peru, Egypt, Kenya, India, and Nepal, the film assembles images of human labor, farmland, and traditional practices in slow motion; the encroachment of technology and modern-day commerce remains a backdrop. Once again, the creative duo forges a striking visual and sonic reflection on the mechanisms of the global economy. The film’s title, in Hopi language, loosely refers to one life consuming another.