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Tarkovsky's "The Sacrifice"

Posted by sjb (A) on April 23, 2007 at 20:52:12

There’s a lot that I liked and a lot that I wasn’t so crazy about in this film. I loved the 9+ minute opening shot and the way it gave you the feel for the environment and I was thrilled at the depth of the dialogue taking place and the spiritual tones of it all and I was right there all the way through to where the jets first roar overhead and then we hear the announcement that WWIII (in nuclear form) has begun.

Then I was back into to it towards the end when Alexander encounters Maria and then (mostly) through to the finish and was very taken by what occurs and by the final words in the movie (bringing it back around to the depth and spiritual tones of the beginning) but in between something was lacking for me.

The only Tarkovsky I’ve seen is Solaris and the only Bergman I’ve seen is Wild Strawberries (The Sacrifice was shot by Bergman’s long time cinematographer and it seemed that Tarkovsky was honoring Bergman a bit in the film) but this movie didn’t have the strength’s of either of those films. The Bergmaness-ness of it seemed to create some distance between me and the characters (and the film) and it just never got to the place of having that kind of intimacy and humanity I felt in watching Solaris (or WS).

I was both impressed with and turned off by most of the actors at different times in the film and felt it just didn’t have a strong enough core to stand alongside things like Solaris and WS.

That said, I still think it’s very, very good and at times beautifully poetic and fulfilling film and I’m very glad I saw it but the pieces never came all the way together… for me.

Warning spoilers**

Obviously there’s no way to know if “The Sacrifice” actually changed the reality of the war starting or if the whole thing was an old man’s delusion but I didn’t care. Either way it’s interesting to me and either way I loved the scene of the house burning and the reactions to it and then the little boy. Though I think I'd prefer if the war part never really happened. I mean Alexander did start the film in a existential crisis of sorts and it could be that he needed to burn his house down to attain a certain level of spiritual freedom.

Don't piss on my shoe and tell me it's raining.

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Kimber Kable

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