Mayak is the first feature film directed by a woman in Armenia, since the birth of Armenian cinema in the early 1920 It's a combination of anti-war ideas and semi-autobiographical material, fixated with haunting score and poetic cinematography, with the latter made more explicit in this brilliant film. The movie feels authentic, doesn't try to force emotions unlike other war films. I loved this film on three or four levels, including the beautiful use of metaphor and political allegory, the brilliant acting, and perhaps most importantly, the photography and the images which cause strong emotional reactions in the mind. Essential viewing for the fans of Emir Kusturica, Georgiy Daneliya, Andrei Tarkovsky, Larisa Shepitko and Frantisek Vlácil.
Review of The Lighthouse
