Review of The Sacrifice (1986) by Reece L — 25 Apr 2015
Man, that Andrei Tarkovsky. He was something else, wasn't he? This is the third film I've seen of his, and he's definitely hard to mistake for anyone else. This film really takes the whole arty-European-long-take thing about as far as it can possibly go.
It was meant as a sort of farewell film for Tarkovsky, who died shortly after completing it. There's definitely a mournful air to the entire film. The story is about a few people living on an island off the coast of Sweden who gather for a birthday party, and then are told that nuclear armageddon will end all life on earth within the next few hours.
I don't want to spoil the ending, but it definitely leaves a lot of room for interesting interpretation. This film isn't quite as striking or memorable as Solaris or Stalker, but its hard-nosed aesthetic and philosophical dignity is unassailable.
This review of The Sacrifice (1986) was written by Reece L on 25 Apr 2015.
The Sacrifice has generally received very positive reviews.
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