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Buddhism / Hinduism

Samsara

The cycle of death and rebirth driven by karma and craving, from which liberation is sought.

Samsara is the wheel of cyclic existence — birth, death, and rebirth driven by karma (action) and tanha (craving). It is not a place but a mode of being characterized by suffering (dukkha) and impermanence. The goal of Buddhist practice is liberation from samsara, not through escape but through seeing through the illusion of a separate self that could be trapped. In film, samsara appears as characters caught in loops they cannot escape: repeating the same mistakes, trapped in cycles of violence or desire, unable to break free until they see clearly.

Films Exploring Samsara

Enter the Void(2009)

The Bardo Thodol as Neon Nightmare

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind(2004)

Memory as Identity and the Pain We Need to Keep

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Cloud Atlas(2012)

Analysis Coming Soon