Šarūnas BARTAS (1964-) – Lithuanian film director, one of the most outstanding representatives of cinematographers. His contacts with cinema began in 1985 with the TV serial “Sixteen-years-olds” (dir. Raimondas Banionis), where Bartas played one of the main roles. He is a graduate of the Moscow Film School (VGIK). He made his directorial debut with his diploma film, the short documentary “Tofolaria” and mediocre-length film (which called spectators’ attention) “For the Remembrance of Last Day” (1989), where the real personages are “acting themselves” according to the principles of feature film. The author further “purified” the specific cinema language in the full-length film “Three Days” (1991), which was awarded the prize of oicumene committee at Berlin Film Festival (for the problems, the importance of the theme, the profundity) in 1992, and FIPRESCI Prize for the originality of the style, the significance of the theme, the beauty of pictures. This is a story (almost without plot… read more
A portrait of loneliness in a brilliant use of the landscape of a primitive place to provoque a depressing and hopeless feeling. Golubeva incorporates all that herself. Raw and rude cinema that choses to explore the feelings of the character instead of presenting a story.
Really didnt see how this was a challenge ... Its not even the most challenging Bartas film. I don't think it's a "Bartas best" but it is still brilliant atmospheric cinema.
I really hate rating films like this. I dont feel a 4/5 matches how I feel about it but a 3/5 would put it at the level of Meet Joe Black and I cant justify that. It was hard for me to get through this but the most rewarding sensation I found was the sounds in and around the silence of the film. Bartas has a very interesting philosophy to film making I might add.
Probably the most challenging film I've seen this year, aside from In Vanda's Room.