Tawai: A Voice from the Forest

This documentary is not bad per se. The drone flights are a bit of an overkill and the shaky handheld frames are just the way they are. But that is not the main critic. The way Bruce Parry tries to explain the world and its downward spiral towards globalization and claiming to have found a safe haven in a few simple cultures. However, the mentioned cultures in this documentary would also not be sustainable once blown up to continental or even global scale. There would simply not be enough environmental space for billions of people living the same life-style. Bruce Parry keeps on repeating the same mantra over and over again like if he had found the key to all problems of our civilization.

Hypocritical at best.

3/10: Not really worth your while.

I loved this documentary for its deep philosophical exploration of what it means to be a human in the context of a fast disappearing natural world. It was subtle, thought provoking and never pedantic or propagandistic. It was a beautifully told story with dreamy cinematography that made me feel very immersed in each of the different places Bruce Parry explores.

In my view, this is a movie that should be screened in schools all over the world. I truly believe that it speaks to a deep yearning and void that modern society is struggling to pin down and relieve.

I watched the movie when it first came out in 2017, now, after watching again (8 years later), I find its message even more pressing and relevant --leadership, plurality of thought and beliefs, nature as the host of life-- are all things that this life-changing journey will head anyone into. A true hint towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks to all the people involved for making this movie!

Bruce is able to convey a meaningful and thought provoking documentary that not only stems from the heart but challenges our value systems. The sadness that is evoked by witnessing the slow demise of a Hunter Gatherer tribe from the forests of Borneo in Malaysia is very moving. Bruce captures their emotion and shows us the simplicity in which they live their daily lives, in where time stands still and is not merely a western construct but a way of life. According to Bruce, it is the closest experience he has had of living in an egalitarian society. No one tells anyone what to do, there is no ego and if anyone succumbs to one, they soon realise their folly and correct themselves or face the repercussions of not fitting in. Balance is restored and the tribe go about their business as before. Sounds like a plan for the future, if only we could get over our selfishness and greed.

Tawai: A Voice From The Forest is a documentary worth watching, just to understand there are still people or tribes living in harmony with nature, far away from civilization or at least what we think it is to be civilized. I thought it was an interesting view on how those people live in the Maleysian forests of Borneo. Forests that are destroyed for our own selfish way of life, for things we don't realy need, or at least for things where there are alternatives for, like palm oil for example. The most interesting part to me were those people in Borneo, as for the religious and spiritual part of those meditating people in India I found that lesser interesting. The documentary won't change anything though, big corporations will continue cutting down every single tree there is if there is a profit to make. Governments are all responsible as well as money is the only thing they are interested in, and certainly not a bunch of indigeous people living from the forest. A well done documentary that make you think about the consequences of the continuous deforestation of our planet. Worth watching if you still dream about a better world.