Anazapta

Story about amoral revenge, cold, dark, seductive, cruel and brutal, splendid reflection of Middle Age atmosphere, mixture of tension and strange romance, tale about price of gestures and powerful force of past errors, about values and trust, about ghosts and crime as projection of community's soul.

In same aspects, a love story and, in fact, subtle exploration of existence significance.

A debate-film, with some aspects from Shakespeare or Marlowe, with flavor from Dostoevki and taste of Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" but, very personal as structure and construction of end.

Film about old moral debt, about cruelty of a bleak era," Anazapta" is a mirror, with Greek tragedy as mat, image of human instincts, desires and secret fears, notion of justice and faith, greed, poltroonery and black angels. It is lucid introspection in the loops of deep reality beyond the words.

The acting, the dialogs, the lights and location are bones of a social corpse, without coffin, funeral or grave.

The innocence or the mercy are only illusions for a character in which single limb is memory beyond facts, illusions or regrets.

A destiny's butcher and his way.

And a very interesting presence of Lena Headey in magnificent role who transforms,in delicate and subtle manner, the nuances of atmosphere and the respiration of action.

Being an avid admirer of director Alberto Sciamma´s first film "Killer Tongue" I did not hesitate to watch his new movie while it was shown at the "Fantasy-Filmfest" Germany. I cannot say, I´m disappointed. But i did not turn out the way I expected it. Compared to his first movie, an extravaganza beyond compare, "Anazapta" looks too arty to capture my benevolent attention. There have been some great movies on the middle ages, like "Flesh and Blood", "Jabberwocky" or "Hour of the Pig". In all these movies the middle ages are so dirty, amoral and violent as you always thaught thy would have been. "Anazapta" makes no exception, and that´s the biggest failure. It does not show anything you haven´t seen before. The movie looks very tv-like. There is no spark. Compared to the in some aspects similar "Hour of the Pig" it´s a major disappointment. Although it´s twisted, you lose interest in getting to the final twist. Don´t misunderstand me. It´s not a bad movie. I have seen much, much worse. But my expectations were higher.

5/22/18. I only watched this because Headey was in it. Other than that the sets and costumes were nice, but the plot was not that great. Could have been better.

Lena Headey is the perfect jewel for this mesmerizing film. She is surrounded by a great cast whose menacing and troubled characters make you shiver as if from the winter's cold. The film is bleak, brutal and thanks to Headey's seductive allure, utterly compelling. Both she and the film are more than worth the price of a ticket.

I felt I was watching something from the 70s. It has strong adult themes and language and well-known actors, but I thought they all acted badly; it's as if everyone had been asked to do a poor job, editing, acting, directing, etc. Shame, for a film made in 2002, it all looks pretty dated.