Customer Reviews

Confession

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This is a very unique experience. It is, in many ways, a miniseries. Sokurov filmed actual footage of Russian sailors patrolling the Arctic circle, and the landscape is bleak and terrifying. It's hard to believe anyone could exist there, yet the Russian navy has bases there. This is not a documentary, however. While there is actual footage of sailors, it is interspersed with the story of a captain disillusioned with Navy life, and life in general. This film/miniseries is the polar opposite of what you would see on American TV. It is very languourous, quiet, haunting, profound, and meditative (like much of Sokurov's work). Sokurov's narration (he does the voice over himself) is equally profound, and adds greatly to the narrative. It is reminiscent of great Russian artists, like Tarkovsky and Dostoyevsky.

I like watching foreign and international arthouse for their uniqueness in plot and story-telling compared to Hollywood formulaic movies. But this particular one was an exception. Clocking in at 260 minutes; this plotless pseudo-documentary was a pure sleep-inducer to watch. Its no wonder Director Sokurov decided to chop it into five parts; because nobody in his right frame of mind would watch this feature for 4 hours straight without losing his sanity. Confession is about the musings or reflections of a ship's commander about his life, his sailors, and about the Russian Military - THAT'S IT. All the while showing images of the gray Artic, the lifeless sailors, the old boat and its interior all these shown in least color-contrast imagery; almost black and white. To top this of, this was not shot in film but in Digital Video Camera, so you could imagine the flat and lifeless imagery. For those who like plot and character-driven films - this one's not for you. For those who like to meditate and contemplate upon their life - this one's also NOT for you. Why? Because, there's nothing new in what the director is saying; you probably have more enlightening and thought-provoking ideas about life than what this movie is projecting. Skip this Digital Movie.