The Sacrifice

A famous Tarkovsky classic. The man can shoot a pretty picture, but when the focus shifts to dialogue and drama, he loses me completely. The characters are often vessels for Tarkovsky's own inner voice, his last film is no exception. I'm afraid that's just not my kind of cinema.

Alexander celebrates his birthday with some close friends in a remote house. But then the unimaginable happens: an atomic attack shocks the world. Alexander and his friends contemplate the consequences, and Alexander is adamant to restore world peace. He realizes he will have to give something in return.

When Tarkovsky aims for atmosphere, The Sacrifice is an interesting film. There's just not enough of that, and the rest really drags things down. The characters are dull, their conversations are didactic and the drama piles up. The runtime didn't really help either, but it's not his worst film either.