Baraka

Baraka is a poetic documentary that is very meaningful and has many religious connotations. The clips and images that are used throughout help paint a picture in your mind of how other people and cultures live. There is cultural music playing throughout that fits the images and places that are being shown, when watching the video the music plays a part in changing your mood and emotions ,you can’t help but become mesmerized by what you are seeing as it is something that is so different to the norm and what you are used to. It gives you a scene of numinous that there is something out there that is bigger than you in a way in courage you to believe.The meaning of Baraka is blessing which can mean many things throughout I took it in the way that I am blessed because of the freedom I have.Bening able to grow up and decide what I want to do with my life and having the options and opportunities to change my mind. Where as in the documentary it shows people and cultures being bought up and not having a chose there life is just set out for them working in a sweat shop for minimum wage. It also shows baby chicks being born and put on a conveyer belt where they are stuck in cages, they never get to see daylight there life has all ready been decided for them which is represented with the people also.

It is a very spiritual video that gives the audience the chance to make up their own minds and think of the message behind it in the way that they have not used any background voice over, but the music used represents the emotions and feelings you should be feeling.The documentary is meaningful and is very powerful the fact that it does not have any words, the producer feels there is no need to explain them, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.Throughout it shows different cultures and ethnic groups worshiping and how everyone does it in a similar way, yet they have never met or been taught. Symbols play an important part in the representation of religion as it is recognised all over the world for being very spiritual. At the start of the documentary it shows a peaceful bliss mis-en-scene and shows nature at its rawest state, the clip of the monkey is very thought provoking as it shows the monkey meditation staring blank it almost makes you wonder what it must be thinking. The it shows a monk doing the same thing meditating /day dreaming again this is provoking the audience to think into more. There was Juxtaposition from the monk meditation in a very peaceful and quite natural setting to a busy over populated slum. This kind of makes you feel that, that may be what the monk is remanising about.

During the video there are many different changes in tone and beat in the music from peaceful and calm, to more up beat and tense such as when showing the busyness of towns and cities showing the manic and disturbed atmosphere. The plain flying over the city represent a negative vibe to me as before it had show the people to be almost like robots working in inhumane conditions slaving away in jobs for pennies. Even though there county is so developed and up to date with technology they can still not afford to go on plains, it is a constant reminder and a symbol of something they will never achieve, they know there is something more

than them but they will never be able to see it. Using animals to represent the people this is significant in the clip where the chicks are being forced’ down the conveyer belt just like the in the train station the people are doing the same things all squashed and very claustrophobic relating back to the chicks they are trapped.The juxtaposition of showing a busy over populated and full of pollution due to at factories and machinery,To a clam and idyllic background of the land formation untouched by the 21st century , its is refreshing and has an inspiring message.

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