Ashes and Snow
A lyrical visual meditation in which humans and animals meet across the imagined boundaries separating their worlds.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Glacial
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- dreamy
- contemplative
- reverent
- quiet evening
- reflective viewing
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film is explicitly structured as a poetic narrative, combining still and moving images instead of conventional documentary explanation.
The central imagery focuses on extraordinary interactions between people and elephants and other animals.
Laurence Fishburne, Jeanne Moreau, Enrique Rocha, and Ken Watanabe provide English, French, Spanish, and Japanese narration.
The stated aim is to lift natural and artificial barriers between humans and other species and dissolve their distance.
Films like Ashes and Snow, and why
Baraka
poetic nature imagery, contemplative pacing, and a meditative exploration of human relationships with the natural world
Samsara
wordless or minimally verbal visual meditation built from striking images of animals, landscapes, and human experience
Koyaanisqatsi
experimental documentary form, lyrical atmosphere, and spiritual reflection on humanity's place within nature
Movie Details
- Director
- Gregory Colbert
- Release Date
- 2005-03-05
- Runtime
- 62 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (76)
Cast
- Laurence Fishburne
- Jeanne Moreau
- Enrique Rocha
- Ken Watanabe
Common questions
- What is Ashes and Snow about?
- A lyrical visual meditation in which humans and animals meet across the imagined boundaries separating their worlds.
- What is Ashes and Snow like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Ashes and Snow as glacial, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Ashes and Snow violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Ashes and Snow.
- Which films are like Ashes and Snow?
- Films with a similar feel include Baraka, Samsara, and Koyaanisqatsi.
- How long is Ashes and Snow?
- Ashes and Snow runs 62 minutes.
