

Koyaanisqatsi
Life out of balance
Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and the exceptional music by Philip Glass.
TMDB
7.9/10
808 votes
IMDb
Not rated yet
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $600K
- Box office
- $3.2M
- Language
- No Language
- human vs nature
- technology
- civilization
- social commentary
- rural area
- nature run amok
- nature
- environment
- environmental destruction
- lost civilization
- observational cinema
- environmental disaster
Top billed cast










Behind the camera
Director
Music
Produced in
United States of America
Where to watch
All optionsAvailability for India. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.
Gallery












Videos
Release dates
United StatesUS
- PremiereNRTelluride Film Festival5 Sept 1982
- TheatricalNR27 Apr 1983
AustraliaAU
- TheatricalG27 Oct 1983
BelgiumBE
- Theatrical (limited)AL27 Apr 1983
BrazilBR
- TheatricalLivre25 Dec 1983
CzechiaCZ
- Theatrical (limited)Film clubs only1 Feb 1995
FinlandFI
- TheatricalS21 Feb 1986
FranceFR
- TheatricalU24 Aug 1983
GermanyDE
- Theatrical610 Nov 1983
HungaryHU
- Theatrical167 Feb 1985
IrelandIE
- Theatrical (limited)Earth Rising Festival14 Sept 2025
NetherlandsNL
- Theatrical67 Jun 1984
- Physical6DVD26 Feb 2003
- Physical6Blu ray2 Mar 2016
PolandPL
- Theatrical161 Oct 1988
Frequently asked questions
Koyaanisqatsi was released on 27 April 1983.
Audience reviews
3- P5/10
Peter McGinn
9/20/2020
This is an art film of sorts, eschewing dialogue or narration or a recognizable plot for a visual and musical banquet of images and scenes. So if you are into art films (or want to appear like you are), this is the film for you. The photographic techniques remind me of nature films, which may not be a coincidence since the subject matter seems to Focus on what is seen as being against nature. So it is all here: e…
- F1/10
Filipe Manuel Neto
10/6/2023
**For the general public, this film is uninteresting. However, it will have merits if displayed within the most correct context.** I've heard of this film as a documentary, but I honestly don't know if Godfrey Reggio really wanted to document anything. This was the director's debut, and for a first work we can say that there is quality, even though it is a somewhat strange film because it has nothing more than a s…
- C7/10
CinemaSerf
2/6/2025
In the Hopi language, this means a mess or a melée and that’s a pretty good description of this ultimate in observational documentaries. It starts and finishes showing us some of the most stunning and striking natural phenomena from the North American continent before gradually dipping its toe into the world of human endeavour. From some of the most impressive features nature created over millennia to some almost as …
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