*spoilers* Being a good ole malchik brought up in the prevailing culture of the Americas, this film seemed extraordinarily strange to me. At least, the village rituals and rites were appropriately foreign to me. I couldn't help but chuckle at these things that seemed almost surreal in my eyes. What I could deeply appreciate about this film is the astounding quality of cinematography, editing, and overall filmmaking. Parajanov used some of the most brilliantly disturbing effects I have ever seen in a film. Even through the language and culture barriers that seemed so overbearing, I was awestruck by the intensity of the movie's emotion, culminating in Ivan's death scene. Parajanov quite literally sent chills down my spine. He conveyed his narrative with a string of long, jerky, disjointedly surreal takes, and it sent my mind into regions heretofore unexplored. I recommend this movie to those of us who are feeling bored and lazy, not those in chipper moods. The bored ones will be energized with a newfound sense of awe, whereas the previously happy ones will be deeply disturbed.
Review of Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
A beautiful non-linear vacillation of perspective, color, and emotion.
27 March 2004
Warning: Spoilers