At 4 ½ hours, Alexandre Sokourov’s Confession (Povinnost) is not for the faint of heart. Nothing at all happens through the 5-part B & W video series that demonstrates just how dark, dreary, and tough life is on a Russian coal carrier in the Arctic. But if you consider yourself a true cine-phile, here are 10 reasons why you should include it on your list of must-sees in Montreal this week.

Reasons To Go See Confession

10. You feel miserable and your therapist tells you it would be good for you to think about other’s misery for a change.

9.You’ve been having bizarre fantasies about spending time with a bunch of very young sailors on a ship in the frozen and dark Arctic.

8.You’ve had enough of fast-food films and feel ready for the full-meal deal.

7.You like to read “heavy books written by old men” but no longer have the time.

6.You’ve heard that the Russians have the inside track on mysticism.

5.You have wondered about the effects that the Russian situation is having on its youth and would like a perspective other than the shocking news.

4.You think that to experience moving images in a darkened room with strangers is about more than just eating popcorn and being entertained.

3.You LIKE to read poetry.

2.You think about existence, humanity, and every once in a while you wonder about spiritual emptiness.

1.You feel up to a 4 ½ hour meditation that will leave you in an altered state with a deeper appreciation of life and the metaphysical.

Volume 2, Issue 4 / October 1998 Film Reviews   alexander sokurov