Already another European drama from the same period? But this one has to be the first Ukrainian film I've ever seen. OK, technically it's from the USSR, but a different area than Battleship Potemkin or Stalker. And director Sergei Parajanov got blacklisted for not conforming it to socialist realism, let alone a Russian focus.
Judging from book author Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky's lifetime, I'm guessing the story's set around 1900. It is difficult to summarize without giving a lot away, as the Netflix jacket did. Suffice it to say that there is substantial tragedy and alleged sorcery (despite the characters' surface Christianity). In the first scene, young boy Ivan gets pushed out of the way of a cut-down tree by his older brother, who dies instead; right after the brother's funeral, their father dies in a feud. Neither of these events has much bearing on the rest of the tale, mostly set in Ivan's adulthood, when his romantic heart brings him trouble repeatedly.
There doesn't seem to be much in the way of character or plot development -- or acting, for that matter -- yet the 97 minutes move pretty fast. That may have something to do with the highly artistic approach, which relies little on dialog (and slightly on intertitles between chapters), so you'd best remain alert. I want to say that Ingmar Bergman would be proud, but the style is only vaguely like his.
The best aspects of the film are in the visuals. Early on, the motion is so fluid it could almost pass for live, without looking much like a cheap TV program. The cinematographer frequently picks interesting perspectives, such as high on the aforementioned falling tree, albeit keeping enough distance for tasteful nudity as needed. The snowy mountains might bore you after a while, but the symbolic use of colors ought to make up for 'em. By the time magic comes into the equation, images start to border on psychedelic.
I wish I could say similarly kind things about the audio. Netflix advertised the composer, who made quite a variety of vocal and instrumental music to play pretty much constantly, but it all wore on me. Culture clash, I suppose. Furthermore, the miking suggests a recording in a small room regardless of whether the scene is outdoors; even at a low volume, it feels "loud."
You probably won't find a moral. As far as I can tell, the main point is to highlight antiquated Hutsul culture in all its beauty and ugliness. In that sense, I take SoFA as a success. You just have to be in a very artsy mood to welcome it.
No comments:
Post a Comment