Varanasi, India: Beyond
8.46
Ratings: 8.46/10 from 206
users.
Varanasi, India: Beyond is an exclusive documentary featuring photographer Joey L. Set in Varanasi, India. The documentary by filmmaker Cale Glendening follows Joey and his assistant Ryan as they complete their latest photo series - Holy Men.
Almost every major religion breeds ascetics; wandering monks who have renounced all earthly possessions, dedicating their lives to the pursuit of spiritual liberation.
Their reality is dictated only by the mind, not material objects. Even death is not a fearsome concept, but a passing from the world of illusion.
Set in the breathtaking backdrop of India, this documentary proves that capturing an amazing portrait isn't just about the latest gear or technique, but truly the subject.
This documentary is 90% about the boys and their trip and only 10% about Varanasi or the culture behind it.
Having just visited Varanasi and having the pleasure of meeting Raju (one of the guides/interpreters credited in this Doco) who acted as our excellent guide on a tour of several temples in Varanasi, it was great to see many of the places we had visited again. Some of the photography in the Doco is fantastic I think..I agree with some people's criticisms but overall I enjoyed it and found it informative.
Thanks again Raju..Linda and Deborah from Perth Western Australia
I loved the photographs you have clicked on the ghat.
Nice documentary. ..
after seeing this very very nice film India will stay in my memories for a long time. im getting old and I need to go feel this place for real
When i had no knowledge about Aghori Sadhus i thought of them as lost minds. Then i came to know it was me in illusion. Aghoris challenge their mind that this visible world is illusion. Everything is made from only one thing i.e. Brahm (singularity). Aghoris have to stop differentiating between a flower and mud or anything else. They have to respect everything. Its a very tough path to follow. Don't attach with anything.
have you ever seen a bramin countig money....i have and i also saw the ritual of bed time for their wives..carressing them bringing them shivas night cap...and basically making sure they stayed alive...shovinism at its purest..how beautifull...really?
nice doc .........but you know what i am sick of boys idiolising men.... get a grip only manhood idiolizes man ,womanhood just get on with live and giving life , get a grip these sadus would shun a woman for being free so make your little movies you are never going to be able to give life....sorry but i am just sick and tired of this polava,,,been there shaged them and quite frankly there is nothingh spiritual about giving up responsibility....
Wow! Awesome work guys! I always wonder hows the life of people in Varanasi and you guys showed me in this whole documentary. I really liked and i cant wait to go and explore more. :)
... Be nice if there were less segments focusing on the filmmakers in this short documentary ..
Beautiful picture and wisdom.
I cannot believe how amazing this documentary is. Watching the credits at the end had me in shock that so few people were involved in the making of this documentary because it was so well done that I thought a whole set would have had to be involved. Great job representing the people, culture, and your experiences. I want more from you guys.
Is this documentary about Varanasi and their people (interesting!) or a about the travel of three American boys (not so interesting!)?
Very nicely done, good kids, good photos. Amazing people of india always a pleasure to meet. "Good on ya", for getting out of town. I wish the young people making professional films, especially abroad, would consider "slightly" formalizing their verbal narrative presentation. There is a beauty, and clarity "certainly", in the friendly spontaneous nature of, what I call the (modern "informal" social media style). The cliches, obscure urban euphemisms, repetitious similes, "Like like ya know, like awesome" for example, need to stay on your twitter account, not in the film you work so hard to produce.
I am suggesting a chance to increase the greatness, and gravitas in your message. Human beings respond to a certain degree of formality, when engaging new experiences, new ideas, new people. It only stands to reason that the general tone, and welcoming atmosphere of the narration, in an ever so slightly formal manner, will make them feel warmly welcomed to the presentation. The piece may contain many disturbing or unfamiliar themes, that will be more easily assimilated with the right tonal delivery. It is a major factor in the training of professional diplomats, and can enhance anyones cultural experience. A peaceful, confident, mildly serious, introduction, and a conversation as if you were speaking to a college English professor, and the most important people in the world.
An example would be the seemingly ancient, but still highly relevant stylistic presentations, of people like Edward R Murrow, Lowell Thomas, Jaques Cousteau, Walter Cronkite while obviously of another time, and century, they all had a certain dignified, "international" "respectful formality" worthy of individual diplomacy in a world full of hundreds of languages, and thousands of dialects. It was the nature of the age in which they lived. It was a time when crossing oceans, and continents, meeting ancient cultures, was still a serious, and daunting adventure, only for the strong, the wealthy, and the well educated. The superior English speaking, skills, and disciplined communication skills, left you feeling that the presenter, and therefore the message had great gravitas, and a reassuring quality that left you spellbound. Being formal has absolutely nothing to do with snobbery, but every thing to do with communication, respect, and mutual understanding. You deserve to be viewed with respect for your disciplined work, the audience will respond with respect if you give it to them. Nice film.
anyone knows what is the music playing at the very end of the movie?
While beautifully filmed this is not a good documentary. Is it about sadhus, India, or the guys doing the photo shoots? It's neither here nor there. It would have been better just to make a docu about the sadhus. The photographers are boring docu subjects though they seem like nice enough guys.
This was amazing; it felt like all of the best parts of a documentary mixed with all the best parts of what you would see from the point of view of friends travelling together.
Beautiful docuementary. I am indian but never been to Varanasi. One day I would definitely go.
Nice effort. Loved it.
Very stylized artificial images which I think totally contradicts what it means to be a Sadhu . Sadhus renounce the material world yet these images couldn't be more "material" thus I am not a big fan of the work. or the filming of the work...would rather see a more documentary approach to the subject matter.....having the elderly renunciate rowing the boat down the river was so contrived it was almost embarrassing.....don't get me wrong the images are sharp and well lit but how many Sadhus really participate in fashion shoots....
Have been to Varanessi a few times over te course of 20 years, magical place. Brilliant photography guys! Keep it up!
Guys! You have incredible video and photo skills. Props to you, seriously! But please stop making your movies about you, and start editing to focus on the subjects you are capturing.
Then in 10 years or something, make a doc about you and all the docs you did.
Thank you for making this film. Really needed to see this today.
Beautiful... If whoever feels this is egotistic then they are focusing on something that is rooted in themselves rather then just being the witness and experiencing the beauty of these people... So glad this was made
very good one.... liked it a lot!!!
realy nice work, thank you