This Russian film is a cinematic treat. Beautifully filmed on photogenic locations this film starts out strong wanders around a bit and then rushes to its' end.
At times this film bogs down in its' slice of life depiction. Nevertheless, this makes the ending even more devastating, you know that these individuals' lazy, dreamy intellectual lives are over and happiness will never come to them again.I am more willing to excuse some of the ham-handed bits of the movie, Russian movies, Russian literature; hell, most Russian art that makes it to the West has it moments of over-importance. We Americans seem to like our Russians brooding, mysterious, and over-bearing. Not being a native speaker I can't comment on the dialog or the stilted acting, to me what these people are saying in the end really doesn't matter. It's the interactions between these people and their passions, petty complaints, and obsessions that make this movie.
Granted each character has more tics than a fine Swiss wristwatch but they are Intelligentsia. "Burnt by the Sun" is solid film and yes, it does go over the top from time to time. However, the cinematography alone was worth an Oscar. I gorgeous colors used in the film breathe nostalgia and doom at the same time. Set design and costumes too add to this mix. The director succeeding in showing a certain class of people and their fragile lives and how those lives where steam-rollered by one of the 20th centuries worst despots. |
