MOVIE · 1983

Koyaanisqatsi

Documentary87 min

A wordless sweep across the United States, Koyaanisqatsi cuts between deserts, clouds, city streets, factories, highways, and crowds to track the strain modern technology puts on both people and the natural world. Godfrey Reggio builds the film entirely through juxtaposed images, with no dialogue or spoken narration to explain what you’re seeing. Philip Glass’s score gives the montage its pulse, moving from quiet, hovering passages to pounding repetition as the imagery shifts from open landscapes to dense urban systems. Familiar faces including Johnny Carson and Ted Koppel surface within the larger collage of American life.