Review of The Sacrifice (1986) by Christopher C — 10 Sep 2008

OFFRET ("The Sacrifice", 1986) was Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky's last film, and the second produced in exile. As a tribute to fellow filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, Tarkovsky choose to work with a Swedish-language script, bring onboard Bergman's renowned cinematographer Sven Nykvist, and give Swedish actor and Bergman favourite Erland Josephsson the lead role.

The setup of the movie is fairly simple: the former thespian and university lecturer Alexander has withdrawn to a Swedish island, spending his days musing on the brokenness of creation and the cruelty of mankind. His only joy is his young son (a mainly silent part, as the child is recovering from tonsil surgery). Alexander's daughter, his ex-wife, her new lover, and his two servant girls are at hand for Alexander's birthday celebrations. But the festivities are interrupted by a horrific development: the outbreak of a nuclear war, turning the world outside their island to ruin. Faced with this apocalypse and the dangers to his son, Alexander prays to God that God reverse it, promising to give up his entire life and all that brings him happiness to save those he holds dear.

This is auteur cinema, and like the works of Bergman and the 60s greats, OFFRET may appeal to a minority of typical filmgoers. The initial half of the film is powered mainly by dialogue, and the baroque statements that Tarkovsky gives to his characters may not be to all tastes. I, however, rather enjoyed them, as they are suggestive of the theatre of the absurd written by such playwrights as Beckett and Pinter. We find interspersed, however, strikingly surreal shots that provide a release from the main action at the same time that they comment on it (am I the only one who gets a hint of Beckett's "Breath" in the street scene?). The turning point of the film, as Alexander goes through a dream-like sexual encounter, is sure to baffle viewer at first.

*However*, the climax of the film elegantly reveals the purpose behind all the mysterious moments before, tying the drama up in a coherent and downright touching way that will satisfy the skeptics. Even if you hate auteur films, I encourage you to watch this film and hold on through the end. I like how the closing of the film features a long uninterrupted shot which mirrors the long interrupted shot of the beginning, and both are among Sven Nykvist's finest achievements.