Unfinished Piece for the Player Piano

Constantly this film makes you reflect on your own life, your relationships, your place in the world.

This slice of life depicts a day in the life of Russian gentry in the late 19th century, warts and all. They're silly and pensive, boring and fascinating, shallow and profound--in short, a mass of contradictions, like most people really are. If the theme is the path taken, the plot is a glimpse of the path NOT taken.

The photography is gorgeous, and the direction and editing are flawless. What makes the film, what really puts it over, are the superb, subtle, multi-dimensional performances.

There is a scene toward the end of the movie where a character goes careening down a hillside, descending into a fit of madness. The camera just observes, but the scene is completely and totally surreal wholly because of the actor's performance. I cannot recall seeing anything like it ever, either in content or skill.

And the last shot of the movie is absolutely breathtaking in its simplicity, innocence, and composition. Movies don't get much better than this one.