Plot synopsis

The film features a meeting between the one who leaves a cultural and intellectual heritage and his heir. The young caretaker of the house (Chekhov's museum in Yalta where the film is made) meets… the master of the house who has returned from non–existence. The youth is played by the non–professional performer of the main part in The Second Circle Pyotr Alexandrov. With the assistance of his permanent scriptwriter Yury Arabov, Sokurov makes somewhat of a screen version of one of Nietzsche's ironic 'tips': one should communicate with other people only as homo post humus — as a man after his funeral. The irony and sadness of Sokurov's film is in the fact that the transcendental stranger who once lived here as a hermit now yearns for contact with various forms of life, whereas the modern youth despises all this earthly routine. But Chekhov has brought nothing from 'There' — not even a wish to create — except a longing for that very 'vulgarity of life' from which he suffered so much 'Here'. Is not this the most frightening for Sokurov sign of Non–existence? There are no values after death except reminiscences of physical life and probably impressions of art. Perhaps, that is why this ascetic black-white–grey film is so beautiful. It could be called Father and Son.
Alexandra Tuchinskaya
English translation by Anna Shoulgat, © 2002.
Source : http://sokurov.spb.ru

Commentaries

Le musée dans les films de la Perestroïka : fictionner l’Histoire, Eugénie ZVONKINE, books.openedition.org, 2018

Selected in the following festivals or events :

- Alexandre Sokourov : des pages cachées, Paris (France), 2010

- Festival "Etonnants voyageurs" à Saint Malo, Saint Malo (France), 2010

- Fall Festival 1998, Paris (France), 1998

- FEMA / La Rochelle International Film Festival, La Rochelle (France), 1993

- Berlin International Film Festival : Berlinale, Berlin (Germany), 1993