This is one of my favorite documentaries. You have to chilled out a bit to probably sit through the entire thing. But it takes you from one end of the world to the other and takes an interesting view on each part. Produced in 1992.

In a way some parts of this movie are sad but I think they are good reminders of what you have to be thankful for too. Smile! Life is good.

I included three trailers below because they each have something to offer.

Baraka a documentary experimental film directed by Ron Fricke – USA 1992

Film includes footage of various landscapes, churches, ruins, religious ceremonies, and cities thrumming with life, filmed using time-lapse photography in order to capture the great pulse of humanity as it flocks and swarms in daily activity. The film also features a number of long tracking shots through various settings, including one through former concentration camps at Auschwitz (in Nazi-occupied Poland) and Tuol Sleng (in Cambodia) turned into museums honoring their victims: over photos of the people involved, past skulls stacked in a room, to a spread of bones. In addition to making comparisons between natural and technological phenomena, Baraka searches for a universal cultural perspective: for instance, following a shot of an elaborate tattoo on a bathing Japanese yakuza mobster with one of Native Australian tribal paint.

The movie was filmed at 152 locations of 24 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Nepal, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, and the United States. It contains no dialogue. Instead of a story or plot, the film uses themes to present new perspectives and evoke emotion purely through cinema. The film was the first in over twenty years to be photographed in the 70mm Todd-AO format.

The title Baraka is a word that means blessing in many different languages. The score by Michael Stearns and featuring music by Dead Can Dance, L. Subramaniam, Inkuyo, Brother and David Hykes. The film was produced by Mark Magidson. A sequel to Baraka, Samsara, is planned to be released in 2009.

Baraka Trailer with Spanish Subtitles – another good look at the movie

Full Spanish Trailer of Baraka

Documental filmado en 24 países que narra, en términos eminentemente visuales, aurales y musicales, la evolución de la Tierra y de la Humanidad, al mismo tiempo que señala las formas en que el ser humano se ha relacionado con su medio ambiente. La aparente fragilidad de la vida humana es contrastada con la grandeza de sus obras, al mismo tiempo que se subraya la desigual relación entre hombre y naturaleza. En medio de estos contrastes, la espiritualidad de la Humanidad surge como el elemento más importante que la distingue de otras especies.

YouTube doesn’t allow embedding on this first trailer
Click Here to see the Baraka Trailer