Review of Russian Ark (2002) by Alex S — 27 Sep 2008

This is not so much a film as it is an amusement park ride. Those going in for dynamic plot twists will be discouraged by no plot and a prevailing discussion and interpretation of historic Russian art by a mysterious wanderer.

But this is not a documentary on these artifacts, either. It is basically a guided tour through a museum, quite a lacking premise to a movie. But dismissing it there would be a mistake because even though this film drags and offers no relatable characters (despite our guide constantly breaking the fourth wall and talking to the audience), it is still a technical marvel as the entire 90 minutes are done in one shot.

Yes, the whole movie was done in one continuously moving shot that incorporates dozens of rooms, literally hundreds of actors and thousands of feet of track. At times exhausting but never conventional, this is one work of art that anyone who has ever worked in TV or film should see immediately (and then cry over in frustration as they realize director Aleksander Sokurov was able to pull off this achievement on only the third take).