Moscow Elegy
Studio: Facets
WorkNameSort: Moscow Elegy
Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky was nothing if not unconventional, and he would no doubt approve of this deliberately paced, nonlinear document of his final years made by protégé/heir Aleksandr Sokurov. Sokurov feints at standard biography techniques ‘ still photographs of Tarkovsky as a child, clips from his filmography, a lengthy explanation of his famous exile ‘ but finds more interest extricating beauty from nature in expansive long shots. Sokurov focuses on Tarkovsky’s productions of Nostalghia (1983) in Italy and The Sacrifice (1986) in Sweden as the work of a displaced man far removed from his humble origins. This elegy to a mentor is all over the place; in attempts to pay stylistic homage to Tarkovsky’s spiritually searching stories, Sokurov often straddles the line separating contemplative freedom from ponderous meandering. If parts of the film feel like drudgery, it has partly to do with the grainy, sub-’80s-Kmart-camcorder footage, but when Sakurov makes his audience work for the movie’s rewards, it feels wholly appropriate.
This article appears in Jan 10-16, 2007.