Russian Ark (Aleksandr Sokurov, 2002)

Interesting film − I am a fan of films, or directors should I say, that think outside the box. This was apparently the first feature film created in a single take and it sure seemed weird. (You can watch the first part of the film on YouTube). There was something about the fluidity − it was like you constantly had to pay attention and there were no cuts or any time for a “break”. It actually felt like a documentary. And the main character we see (not the filmmaker from whose point of view we see) looked remarkably like Christopher Walken − a little freaky, yet intriguing. A lot of art was in the film. I was very tired so that may have required extra effort to stay awake and there wasn’t really a strong storyline as such. I also didn’t really get the beginning and how the filmmaker ended up there in the first place. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the different approach. And of course, I loved the costumes and the set of the Heritage Museum! Apparently it took nine months to rehearse but it was well scripted and worth it I believe.

It was wonderful to see history come alive and just to pretend to be there at that time was great. I guess that’s why I feel as if it is more of a documentary because it is objective and showing not really telling us anything. I should probably read up a bit more on Russian history to understand the significance of some of the characters mentioned but I still enjoyed the film without all the knowledge − so hats off to Mr Sokurov for creating an engaging and original way of thinking about film and narrative (or lack of it).

4/5