Baraka
I was stoned.
We were at Pradeek's place. It must've been the second or third time I'd met him. He was Koshy's childhood friend, a British citizen, pothead, amazing storyteller and discussion-holder. Pradeek told us about this fabulous film he'd come across called 'Baraka' and that we had to watch it. He actually spent 150 pounds on a DVD player just to watch the opening scene of this film. For a garrulous chap, he was actually finding it difficult to explain what this film was about. But he guaranteed it was amazing and we would not regret it.
But, there's always time for a li'l smoke first.
Being a non-regular, I'm not too keen on watching films high. Cinema is an experience in itself, and I prefer enjoying it as such. But Pradeek could not have been more spot on with this one. Those 95 minutes were surreal. After the keener ones got higher, we settled down to watch. The best part about being stoned in a group is that there's a sense of security and togetherness but everyone is too busy tripping on their own to disturb the peace and tranquility with unnecessary chatter. I was a little worried that the hype might detract from the enjoyment. Not a chance. And the first scene set the pace - it blew us away.
A monkey among snow-clad mountains. Before dawn. Just doing it's own monkey thing. But there was something different. It seemed to be so calm, serene almost. Unusual, you might agree, for a monkey. It moved slowly over to a small pond. The pond was partially frozen over but there was some part still in liquid phase. Amazingly, the monkey went calmly into the water. I was freezing just watching this, but the monkey thought nothing of it. It just sat there. It seemed to be waiting for something. Ah, the sun. The sun slowly crept over the mountains. The monkey knew exactly where it was going to rise from. It kept its eyes trained on the sun for a little while, closed its eyes...
...and began to meditate.
We had no words. Not just the concept, which is not entirely unheard of, but the way the scene was shot. And it only kept getting better. I don't think any film has imprinted so many images in my memory with just one viewing. I realised I had been holding my breath.
I exhaled.
Baraka - the breath, the essence of life.
We were at Pradeek's place. It must've been the second or third time I'd met him. He was Koshy's childhood friend, a British citizen, pothead, amazing storyteller and discussion-holder. Pradeek told us about this fabulous film he'd come across called 'Baraka' and that we had to watch it. He actually spent 150 pounds on a DVD player just to watch the opening scene of this film. For a garrulous chap, he was actually finding it difficult to explain what this film was about. But he guaranteed it was amazing and we would not regret it.
But, there's always time for a li'l smoke first.
Being a non-regular, I'm not too keen on watching films high. Cinema is an experience in itself, and I prefer enjoying it as such. But Pradeek could not have been more spot on with this one. Those 95 minutes were surreal. After the keener ones got higher, we settled down to watch. The best part about being stoned in a group is that there's a sense of security and togetherness but everyone is too busy tripping on their own to disturb the peace and tranquility with unnecessary chatter. I was a little worried that the hype might detract from the enjoyment. Not a chance. And the first scene set the pace - it blew us away.
A monkey among snow-clad mountains. Before dawn. Just doing it's own monkey thing. But there was something different. It seemed to be so calm, serene almost. Unusual, you might agree, for a monkey. It moved slowly over to a small pond. The pond was partially frozen over but there was some part still in liquid phase. Amazingly, the monkey went calmly into the water. I was freezing just watching this, but the monkey thought nothing of it. It just sat there. It seemed to be waiting for something. Ah, the sun. The sun slowly crept over the mountains. The monkey knew exactly where it was going to rise from. It kept its eyes trained on the sun for a little while, closed its eyes...
...and began to meditate.
We had no words. Not just the concept, which is not entirely unheard of, but the way the scene was shot. And it only kept getting better. I don't think any film has imprinted so many images in my memory with just one viewing. I realised I had been holding my breath.
I exhaled.
Baraka - the breath, the essence of life.
spouted by Non-Sensei at 6/15/2004 11:40:00 PM
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