“Russian Ark” (2002)

This is a mesmerizing film experience, that absolutely demands to be seen for fans of cinema. So much care and effort was clearly put into this. The film does primarily feels like it was just an excuse to make a film that consisted solely of one long continuous camera shot, but because of the large amount of actors, all the moving parts involved, its grand scale, and its surprising levels of ambition, it manages to both feel very impressive from a technical standpoint, as well as flow together so naturally and beautifully. The film has a definite dreamlike mood to it, and it captures that tone very well. I personally feel like that backstory of the unseen narrator maybe, possibly having been injured in some kind of accident was completely unnecessary. And the film will probably mean a lot more to someone who has a deep understanding of Russian history. But it’s still an entertaining and well-made film, that deserves to be seen based solely on its technical accomplishments alone.

Rating: 4/5