Moy drug Ivan Lapshin

German's unique long take style really locked into place here with this story of hope and betrayal based on his father's memoirs. What separates him from other long take practitioners is his preference for continuous flowing movement. In that regard, he is closer to Jancso than Tarkovsky. German uses that style with temporal shifting devices to effectively recreate the Soviet Union right before the purge, conveying abstract yet vivid impressions of distant dreams turned to dust.

Impressionistic portrayal of a world where no one yet realises that their only half-conscious struggles to maintain the threads of their humanity are about to be plunged into a far darker nightmare. As will be the case from this point onwards in German’s work, events and motives never fully congeal, but everything is in constant motion, giving the viewer the sense of an incoherent universe where no one recognises the fractures that are constantly dislocating them both psychically and socially.

It's got kind of a Terence Davies feel to it, with short scenes that often don't feel connected... but they don't seem to be serving any particular theme, message, story or mood. Certain scenes are interesting enough on their own but many aren't, and without connective tissue to the rest of the movie, I felt lost, like I wasn't paying close enough attention... even though I was. The film is nicely shot and there are some intriguing characters and moments. But I feel like I'm missing something.

This was a weird one. The technique and camerawork are admirable, but for some reason I had the most difficult time following this one, even though it felt like the kind of movie I shouldn't be having that much trouble following. I don't know if it was because I'd already seen a few movies that day or the cultural gulf or what, but I just felt like I couldn't keep up with it at all even though I was paying attention. I probably need to give it another try eventually when I'm fresher.

Pretty terrific. The nostalgic glow of even the most painful memories, fragmented and hazy and icy, but cascading into a series of fluid, beautiful remembrances. Aleksey German's filmmaking is bold, and the camera takes on a life of its own - in more ways than one. I want to watch it again.

Salt hatırlama, hafıza kavramlarına dayalı bir filmde siyah-beyaz ve renkli görüntülerin birlikte yer alması kullanışlı bir fikir. Yine de, hatırlananlar arasında, gözlü görünür -ya da okunabilir- bir bağlantı olmaması, sıkça hareket eden kamera oradan oraya gezinirken, izleyende bir kaybolma hissi yaratmak istiyor gibi. Ama bu bende filmin içine giremememle sonuçlandı.

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