I had no idea what this was. I was going in thinking this was an animated film and although it can be called that, it's entirely a different beast. Right from the start with the almost post apocalyptic Iooking setting we see Stalin waking up next to Jesus and Hitler calling out Stalin. Then we see Churchill and Mussolini joining in with each of them having a number of brothers all of whom are themselves in different phases. The film is about all theses European tyrants responsible for millions of death represented through deepfake technology from their real life footages. The film explores their philosophy, ignorance, hate and respect with regards to their worldview and to each other that is sometimes insightful and sometimes hilarious. However, I am not completely sure about everything the film wants to talk about. It looks like the director is a centrist who wants to see all the sides of these people. But I'm still confused about a lot in this film but it was definitely a fascinating experience.
3 Reviews
Hard to Be a God once again...
CupPusta15 October 2023
Sokurov has definitely surpassed Herman's "It's Hard to Be a God". Definitely. (but not "Khrustalev, car" - well and that would be superfluous...)
The use of VR and AI (in a way - because, it's not making Michael Jackson sing again, nor it's making ABBA young - but it's AI+VR to me) - was a brilliant solution. It merges feelings from "The Lord of the Rings" with those from Cocteau' "Testament of Orpheus". I would even add Murnau...
So, it's dreamy, B&W, nonlogical, whimsical, fun - and with a second meaning... To boil all that in one charade - really takes a genius.
Putting Sokurov in one row not only with Herman, but Tarkovsky as well.
Enjoyable experince.
Putting Sokurov in one row not only with Herman, but Tarkovsky as well.
Enjoyable experince.
Blurry and Purgatorial Voyage
chovgan14 May 2024
Warning: Spoilers
This film manipulates historical footage to reanimate bygone leaders, from European fascists to Jesus Christ. It's darkly entertaining stuff - but its lack of a clear strategy make its 78 minutes feel long.
The dictators are portrayed in 'deep fake' archival footage, presenting them as their authentic selves. These images evoke a ghostly presence; occasionally, one of these spectral figures will engage in an action, like caressing the face of an adoring yet unseen member of the crowd or raising an invisible cigar.
In James Joyce's Ulysses, Stephen Daedalus melodramatically observes that history is "a nightmare from which I am trying to awake." Sokurov, in a literal sense, embodies this notion.
There's also a curious sense of nostalgic fondness for these revived dictators, reaching a level where the director's intentions become uncertain. We witness these perpetrators of mass violence engaging in mundane activities like using urinals - Adolf Hitler even seen using a toilet - but does this portrayal serve to humanize them or diminish their significance?
In a pitiful scene, Mussolini catches sight of his and his mistress's battered, disfigured bodies among a heap of corpses. However, this experience fails to impart any lesson, devoid of any redeeming influence. Their sole remorse isn't for the enormity of the massacre but rather for its perceived inadequacy. Stalin ruefully states: "We didn't have enough time to shoot them all."
In the end, Sokurov's film proves to be as perplexing as a haunting dream. It resembles more of a scenario than a narrative, and despite its concise 78-minute duration, it feels long. While there may be a form of retribution for the dictators - albeit feeling ultimately inadequate, particularly since their victims are depicted as mere indistinct figures - it lies in the relentless cycle of repeating their actions, unable to break free from their destructive tendencies. On screen, at least, this serves as their eternal fate: forever trapped in the unending nightmare of history.
The dictators are portrayed in 'deep fake' archival footage, presenting them as their authentic selves. These images evoke a ghostly presence; occasionally, one of these spectral figures will engage in an action, like caressing the face of an adoring yet unseen member of the crowd or raising an invisible cigar.
In James Joyce's Ulysses, Stephen Daedalus melodramatically observes that history is "a nightmare from which I am trying to awake." Sokurov, in a literal sense, embodies this notion.
There's also a curious sense of nostalgic fondness for these revived dictators, reaching a level where the director's intentions become uncertain. We witness these perpetrators of mass violence engaging in mundane activities like using urinals - Adolf Hitler even seen using a toilet - but does this portrayal serve to humanize them or diminish their significance?
In a pitiful scene, Mussolini catches sight of his and his mistress's battered, disfigured bodies among a heap of corpses. However, this experience fails to impart any lesson, devoid of any redeeming influence. Their sole remorse isn't for the enormity of the massacre but rather for its perceived inadequacy. Stalin ruefully states: "We didn't have enough time to shoot them all."
In the end, Sokurov's film proves to be as perplexing as a haunting dream. It resembles more of a scenario than a narrative, and despite its concise 78-minute duration, it feels long. While there may be a form of retribution for the dictators - albeit feeling ultimately inadequate, particularly since their victims are depicted as mere indistinct figures - it lies in the relentless cycle of repeating their actions, unable to break free from their destructive tendencies. On screen, at least, this serves as their eternal fate: forever trapped in the unending nightmare of history.
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