Hans-Jürgen Syberberg’s Parsifal interprets the opera by mixing in references to the history of Germany, Wagner’s life, German literature and philosophy. Based on one of King Arthur’s medieval romances, it recounts how a “wild child” unwittingly invades the sacred precincts of the Holy Grail.

Based upon Wagner’s last music drama, Parsifal doesn’t just adapt an opera to the screen but transforms it into the most cathartic of cinematic experiences. At once faithful to the composer’s vision and reshaped in the light of our modern era, this is a sweeping, ambitious work of meta-theatre.