1220. Mat i syn

Mat i syn
Mother and Son
1997
Directed by Alexander Sokurov

Now that we've seen a film about a grieving family recovering from the loss of their son, I thought we try out the inverse of that. Everybody still have their tissues handy? 

Basically, the son takes care of his dying mother, as she clearly suffers from a great deal of pain. The son takes the mother on a long journey through the countryside before their inevitable parting. 

Well, this film isn't exactly chock-full of long meaningful conversations about death, but a lot is communicated in the dreamlike visuals and silent interactions between the characters. Of course, that doesn't mean that there aren't many dull stretches throughout that had me watching the clock, but at least it's a fairly short movie.

Obviously not something I would watch to cheer me up after a long day, but as far as weird experimental Russian movies go, I've seen worse.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Nick Cave wrote a review for this film. It was titled "I wept and wept, from start to finish." 

In order to achieve the strange look of the film, Sokurov used special lenses, painted glass, and distorting mirrors.