User Reviews

No narration, not much dialogue, very little drama at all, absolutely minimalist music. Yet, strangely, you will not be able to look away. I even paused it to go to the fridge, just so I wouldn't miss anything. Brilliant. Especially recommended for self-hating Americans.

"I Am Salt" was educational...I had no idea salt was mined that way in India. I really enjoyed all aspects of the film, excluding the main male "character." What a rude, unkind, demanding, thankless person! I was hoping throughout the movie someone would tell him to knock it off, but, alas, it did not happen. If not for his unlikable presence, I would have given the movie 10 stars.

So much work for so little pay...and the children had no say in being forced to work in the desert for 8 month, with no entertainment, comfortable sleeping arrangements, or plentiful food. I wished better for all of them (except for Meanie).

I hope Farida Pacha makes more films; she is talented and can tell a compelling story!

I took my time watching this film. I stopped it three times in three weeks, but always came back. I never forgot about it. Just like the creators took their time in filming it. It's like no other thing I have seen. The director lets the sights and sounds stir our thoughts of what and how. Perhaps even why. Enough is revealed that we get it, step by step. Peering into a world that is very specific and very different than anything I have ever seen or considered.

Words cannot do this justice. Seduced and totally mesmerized, I find myself imagining a role of the dice and a life there, with them. And I realize I would be fine. Just let yourself go, be there, and consider yourself lucky such a film was made with such grace. I watched this after having watched The Forgiven, with Forest Whitaker, another good choice. The two are polar opposites of where humans can wander.

I knew nothing about this part of India or way of life. A very desolate landscape and way of life, portrayed in a sensitive, minimalistic, and artistic manner. This film drew me, kept my attention.

"Mandir taru vishwa Rrupalu, sundar Sarjanhara Re" "This Beautiful world is your temple You are the magnificent creator of it all Every moment you are visible to those who can perceive you" Rann of Kutch (Desert in Gujarat, the western state of India), Salt harvesting, some 40,000 families, 8 months of their perseverance to make the whitest salt and they do .. and then monsoon washes away the salt fields every year but they still come back and again takes up this Sisyphean task of making the whitest salt on the earth . Strenuous work done by the families over a span of 8 months in a desert basin, digging the ground and walking bare feet on mud...this documentary follows one such family.. Vast parched wasteland bordered by the mirages.. a tyre, a donkey and a broken cycle bring the singularity of the solo subjects to the frame and elevates its austerity .. exquisite cinematography with amazing long shots .. the sounds of pump and slapping on chappatis create a sui generis melody, a rhythmic penguin walk on salt looks like a tribhanga performed by an Odissi dancer..this vèritè documentary is an extraordinary experience.. one of the best documentaries I have seen.. a MUST MUST watch.

Absolutely genius. Minimal. Stark. Riveting. Educational. Experiential. Real.

Totally unique in its approach, this documentary has a lot to teach about telling a story.

...there's a new king of boring in town: "Watching Salt Dry."

But seriously, it was kind of interesting to see a touch of what these people's lives are like, but on the whole this documentary was just really, really boring. Maybe if they'd played the whole thing at like 10x speed, and had more shots of the actual natural processes and the work that was done, rather than just bits here and there, it might have made for a better watch. Or maybe if they'd picked a family that was a bit more lively, and focused more on them. But hey, if you enjoyed it, good for you.

Through this patient and contemplative storytelling, "My Name is Salt" invites us to recognize that even in the most seemingly mundane aspects of life, there exists extraordinary depth and significance. It transforms what might appear as a bleak or ordinary existence into a powerful testament to the resilience and importance of every life journey.

Watching "My Name is Salt" is akin to discovering an oasis in the midst of life's daily hustle. It's a poignant reminder of the profound beauty that emerges when we slow down the relentless pace of our existence. It's as though the fast-moving airplane of life suddenly decelerates, allowing us to observe people, their stories, and their world with clarity and depth.