"I don't think we can continue to exist on Earth for 1,000 years without escaping this fragile planet. We need to look up at the stars, not at our feet all the time."
From the grass growing and the warbler flying, to the vicissitudes of life, each of us, the love, hatred, and hatred, and the sad and unbridled joys and sorrows, all came from this. Originated from such a small grain of heaven and earth, but the planet of the life of all things. Overlooking from space, it wraps the atmosphere and ocean with blue sky and blue sky like indigo, so grand and majestic, so meticulous. When I closed my eyes, I seemed to see it again. It is the hope of mankind and all living things.
This documentary is about Sebastian Salgado. His life is enough to stumble and sigh, and enough to cry. Those tears are the deepest part of the viscera, the solemn respect pouring out of the heart and blood, it is to escape the dust, and live one by one. I remember watching a movie called "Survival in the Wilderness", and the protagonist in it is similar to Seba. It is also the same as abandoning the comfortable life and the bright future to pursue the self. That self is hidden in the ravines and jungles, outside the walls made of reinforced concrete, and under the most boundless starry sky. So he held the camera and was busy in the world, day by day, year by year.
The subtitle of this film is "The Photographic Journey of Sebastion Salgado", and I want to describe its content more unmistakably. The great thing about this documentary is that it captures something so heavy and brutal, romantic, disparate, yet complementary, in a casual or oblivious tone. It tells that he traveled around the world with his wife, and stopped and walked in the barren and ignorant soil, but that kind of soil allowed him to shoot the most prestigious and best known works in the world.
There seems to be a lot of misunderstandings in the world. He got into photography only because his wife bought a camera. But after that, it was a match made in heaven. He quit his high-paying and stable job, went to the country and left his homeland, and went to film. He photographed people, endangered animals, the earth, the sky, culture and customs, political phenomena, and everything on earth. I have never understood why this documentary is called "The Salt of the Earth". Salt is a recipe for cooking, a finishing touch, and a must. And there is such a group of people on the earth who put down their hustle and bustle, abandon their fame and fortune, and rush around with the world, just for this piece of land they love, only for this planet they love.
They are the salt of the earth. Seba is also one of them. The documentary also talks about his family. He rambled and talked about his wife and two sons. His eldest son grew up photographing with him, while his younger son was born with Down syndrome. He recalled it lightly, and after the diagnosis came out, he cried hoarsely. The pain in his heart did not hinder his artistic journey, but pushed him forward.
This is Sebastian Salgado, I think. With those muddy brushstrokes and black and white film, he made the best work in the world. He is art itself. I will always remember such a person, his youngest appearance. He has long hair and beard, travels thousands of miles, has a camera around his neck, and has grayish-yellow skin. I will remember the salt of the earth and try to be that salt of the earth, someday.
View more about The Salt of the Earth reviews
