The Sacrifice

SPOILER: This is the best movie I have seen so far. I watch it again about once or twice a year, like a ritual or an annual holiday I would be taking into levels of consciousness where the mind is not really required. I do not understand, and I do not feel like I have to, it is secondary. I feel touched like only pure and silent beauty can touch me, or bliss. It is obviously created around an idea of sacrifice, being both a gift to others but also to ourselves. By offering his life in order to save his family, his grandson and the world, the main character is also giving a true meaning to his own life that had mostly been of artificiality, questionings and shallowness. Every person who enters the house, he starts seeing under a deeper if not more expressionistic light... And when he meets with magic (while making love with the witch) he creates the bridge that will take him from reality into mystery. The whole film is as breathtaking and self-sufficient as a painting, or even more so, a Russian icon. It is ageless. I suppose it will remain with me for my entire life. I consider it Tarkovsky's last will, but even more so a piece of the Human Heritage that should be protected and kept accessible for future generation.

This is a spare and haunting work that weaves its spell slowly yet powerfully. Every shot is framed with loving care, and Tarkovsky allows the camera to remain fixed on a scene as events unfold. It's perhaps the most beautifully photographed film I've ever seen. There's very little music during the course of the movie, yet subtle, mysterious sounds contribute to an overall feeling of mystery and foreboding. The acting and dialogue are no doubt greatly influenced by the work of Bergman. Perhaps the film is a kind of homage to him.

This is definitely not a popcorn movie, nor one to see on a first date. I recommend you see it when you're not distracted or impatient - when you can be fully present and mindful as events develop at an unhurried, organic, human pace. The cumulative effect is devastating, yet somehow wonderfully cathartic.

This is a mind-blowing film that is very hard to say something about but I will try my best:

First of all I would like to write something about the cinematography.Sven Nykvist is of course one of the best cinematographer´s of all times and this film is so fantastic beautifully filmed.I must say that I got lost in the film sometimes and did not understood what was going on but still I tried.The best in the film is before the "war" has started.A very dark allegory over the society.

I think it´s good-but still very though and hard to understand-and I recommend it but only for people who can see this sort of things.I actually got a bit depressed of this film.

It´s very hard to describe "The Sacrifice" and I have tried my best but you must see it for yourself to understand and maybe appreciate it.

This last film by the great Tarkovsky and seen as an article of pure faith by many, suffered from production problems, the largest being a camera jamming which resulted in the cast and crew pulling together to rebuild a set so that the film could be completed. Tarkovsky had suffered worse, not least the loss of an entire film due to a lab fault back in Russia. His chief problem was adjusting to the more formal structure of crewing in the west as opposed to the freedom afforded him back in the Soviet Union. I think the main problem affecting this film is it seems unduly influenced by Bergman and has the same cameraman. The hysterical women on the floor especially reminds me of 'Cries And Whispers'. Mimicking another's style, even one as great as Bergman's, diminished him somehow. Also, I can't pretend to understood the plot which at times seemed eccentric to the point of obtuseness and silliness, not least the rather too sudden appearance of an ambulance and the puzzling business involving a witch. Why anyone should suspose such an involvement would prevent a nuclear war is perplexing. Also the tired use of yet another levitation motif suggested Tarkovsky may have been running out of artistic steam. On the plus side there is an enigmatic soundtrack of what sounds like sheet metal work, suggesting spiritual discord perhaps?

Whether one engages with a Tarkovsky film depends on whether you identify with whatever spiritual problem his character is wrestling with. Some people are more concerned with nuclear issues than others. Some may see the sacrifice made by Otto as an inspiring spiritual one against his own interests. Certainly Tarkovsky seemed enamoured of the concept of the holy fool, weak and perhaps misguided and foolish individuals who are disenfranchised but in their lowliness somehow admirable and insightful on some matters. Others of a more secular persuasion may see Otto's sacrifice as selfish (his family being affected) and merely the pointless actions of the benighted. I'm sitting on the fence. The final sequence, which for the reasons above had to be re-shot is sadly not one of Tarkovsky's best. He has this need not to edit for the audience and prefers scenes to run to their own inner dynamic. It didn't work for me.

Tarkovsky was dying of cancer during the making of this film and the watering of the withered tree is actually an older myth, ruminated upon in his extraordinary book 'Sculpting In Time'. It is about 'the truth' as he sees it and is a Christian one. Unfortunately, I don't think this film was all it could have been but I see why it means so much to many. In my opinion he was perhaps the greatest film maker of all time and we are unlikely to see his like again. He believed that the gift of friendship was the most natural and important one to give as it is the one most open to us all.

Please forgive this disorganized, vague rambling...it is difficult to put into words what this film has done for me, as it is a spiritual experiment in time and character more than it is a traditional film.

I will say right off that this movie is not for everyone. Tarkovsky is a fan of long takes, slow character development and awkward silences. Even though this is one of my favourite films, it was a struggle to get through the whole thing...which is, in fact, an effective medium to describe a man who is finding it a struggle to progress with his everyday life. The settings are fittingly dreary and dismal; indeed, his son seems to be the only spark of life in the film.

There is no plot to speak of; the film is an in-depth character study. Tarkovsky has given the main character so many dimensions that one cannot help but wonder if it is semi-autobiographical. Elements of magic realism serve to enhance the character's despair and isolation, but there are finely-crafted human details -- such as a shaking hand that must try twice to light a match properly -- that give the film a very realistic sense. The world Tarkovsky has created is like a vivid dream.

The images in this movie are incredible: watch for his use of fire, wood, earth and water, for all four elements are heavily drawn upon in his shots.

There is a documentary floating around out there that has Tarkovsky discuss this film in depth; it shows the processes he invented to create some of the takes, and the stubbornness he exhibits to get everything to match his vision perfectly. I saw the documentary before the film, and I think it only added to my appreciation. His book, "Sculpting in Time," also offers insights and bits of philosophy that add dimensions to this movie.

Though I regret that Tarkovsky passed before he could produce more works like this, "The Sacrifice" is a fitting epilogue to his collection of films, and perhaps the best eulogy a person could ever hope for.