This is a Russian film that was nominated for a Golden Globe in the best foreign film category. In typical Russian filmmaking style, there are extremely long, ponderous takes, at times, put there seemingly to weed out any of the audience who lacks patience and yet there are many compelling elements to this film.
The cinematography is lush and breathtaking at times. I’ve never seen a film that better captured the natural beauty of Russian landscapes and shores. There is some solid acting here, especially from the lead woman protagonist.
Where things break down a bit is in the story department. I guess we are to take this as a tragedy and that’s fine for what it is. But many of the story lines developed in the film are just abandoned along the way as if the director was following whatever story interested him at the time and “finding” the film in the edit. That is what’s going to be hard to swallow for a lot of people that watch it. I thought it was good, not great. If you love Russian panoramas, it’s probably worth watching just for that. If you are a fan of Russian films like Solaris (as I am), then you will have no problem enjoying this. Otherwise, it’s probably a pass.