Songs of Earth (2023) Poster

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10/10
A spiritual film, cinematic to depict nature, sentimental to depict humans
jasbour23 September 2023
Watching this film was a deep experience. The film is shot around the village of the director, Oldedalen Norway, which is situated in a valley of a beautiful fjord surrounded by breathtaking mountains at the edge of the glacier. The film is like walking in nature with a wise man whose family has lived in this valley for many generations, the man sharing generational wisdom throughout the walk.

The style of the direction gives the film a character that is "local" but also universal. Local because of the specific colours, sounds and scenery, but also universal because it touches upon aspects of nature that we recognize in all kinds of habitats on earth. Similarly, the film is both time-specific but also timeless. Time-specific as it goes through each season of the year, but also timeless as it conveys the message of life continuing from one generation to the next, despite difficulties. Finally, the film is both personal but also collective. Personal because it tells the story of the director's parents (her father is the wise man that walks with you), but also collective because the story you hear touches upon aspects of life that resonate inside all of us.

The film cinematography is very original, taking you from drone to underwater views of the scenery, during different seasons of the year. The music score is geniously tailor-made to translate sounds of nature (waterfalls, wind, etc) to music delivered by classical instruments.

Have never reviewed a film in IMDB before, but in this case I just felt I had to, after reading an ignorant review by someone else here.
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This is not a film, it's a spiritual journey
Daniel_Markovich13 September 2023
Just watched this at TIFF, and I feel almost overwhelmed with the amount of emotion I have in me right no. Truly is a love letter to nature, family and life itself. The music and sound design support the beautiful shots of Norway, I watched so many nature documentaries before but this is some next level content. The slow rhythm of nature reflects beautifuly in the life of the director's parents, who are followed throught the film.

Please watch this important, beautiful creation. For all the people who worked on this film- you should feel so proud. This was a moment I would never forget. Thank you for sharing it with the world.
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10/10
Beautiful depiction with double meanings
martinpersson9720 November 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This incredible, unique and ever authentic documentary is definitely deserving of all its hype - it is indeed a very profound, low scale, yet massive achievement.

It is a celebration of nature, yet at the same time a celebration of life - all conveyed in a slow, somewhat cozy pacing to exception.

It is expertly cut and edited, and the cinematography and imagery can not be overstated in how incredible it is. The film features some truly beautiful images and scenery, very beautifully put together, to say the least.

Overall, truly an incredible film and an achievement that puts forth the joys of life and nature splendidly! Highly recommended.
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10/10
Breathtaking
attilalengyel-7868427 December 2023
This is a deeply personal take on nature, family, and life itself. I have never seen anything like this before. I would award it all the Oscars there are, but it is, somehow, far more than that. It's beauty is astonishing and spectacular to a point you can't normally reach. What pictures you see here are beyond comprehension. All that embedded into a family story, so light, so fine, so easily weaved into the film like Buddha levitating above water. Profoundly personal yet, at the same time, impersonal. With a score 11 out of 10, editing 11 out of 10, it is way the best documentary / biography I have ever seen in my life. (I'm 53, so I've seen plenty.) I have no any connection with any of its staff but say: Margreth Olin 20/10. I wish I knew you.
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5/10
Self-indulgent and boring view of nature
camsei-522982 March 2024
I found this film to disappoint me in several ways.

I am Norwegian, living abroad and the only thing I miss in my life is to have more nature experiences. I would have expected this film to move me, and make me want to dream about moving to a beautiful place. Instead it made me realize how important it is to be an active part of the civil society and give your best to others.

The overly personal and isolated story of this couple, seems navel-gazing and excluding, a bad trait of Norwegians in general, although the portrait of the main character in the film is sympathetic.

The pictures are beautiful, but the story is simple and lacks courage, edge and generosity.

Maybe my disappointment of the film has to do with me being gen-y public, whilst the film made by an gen-x instructor and writer romanticizing her silent generation parents, who are fine with being indulging in their secluded and privileged beautiful surroundings that they don't need to share or fight for.
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5/10
Good Pictures, But...
KFstudios200910 September 2023
I have just watched this movie, and I think this movie was a real fifty-fifty. This was a story that introduced us a man, a man called Jørgen, and he had a big connection to nature and everything among it. This movie shows us that we have to take care of the nature and protect it. Good message, but overall this movie could be way more better. This movie was good at the pictures. The presentation of nature, the camera-work was amazing. As well as the message they give us. That was actually the only good, because I have many complains. First of all, the scenes were too slow and mostly repetitive, with repetitive picture and location. The storytelling was weak, and the music was trying to be dramatic, but they didn't do it right, unfortunately. The focus on one person that was the center of the movie, was good, we focused on one person, but we could find out more about the past and why Jørgen become so obsessed about nature and the living. To conclude, this movie was good at representing nature, bad at the rest. This shouldn't even be a cinema film, it should come on Television or some Netflix stuff.
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