Zen
1999 · 0h 28m
Watch this tonight if you want to slow down and actually think—it's a meditative documentary that transforms everyday monastery rituals into hypnotic cinema. Skip it if you need plot, dialogue, or entertainment; this is pure visual poetry that demands your full attention.
Plot
Filmed in a remote Zen temple in the Japanese Alps. The images start with the magnificent mountains, before descending to one of the cities and then on into the monastery, where we follow the highly ritualised lives of the monks and nuns. Besides the landscapes, there are some truly memorable scenes, like the monastics on alms round, the unrolling of the scriptures, and even the taking of a meal, all of which become slightly surreal under the watchful eye of the camera.