The Sacrifice
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Year Released: 1986
Rating: 3.5
Nothing less than the end of the world is alluded to and taken up by the late, great filmmaker in his final statement to mankind, and it's unspeakably powerful for the first two acts, with fine acting and some typically gorgeous cinematography by Sven Nykvist. I've gotten used to "being lost" in a Tarkovsky picture, understanding not everything is straightforward and simple, but for the third act - the engagement in "the sacrifice" and the ensuing results - I was completely shattered; Tarkovsky, in one of his few mistakes, botches what could have been the ending to end all endings. "The sacrifice" - whoever comes up with the "idea" never adequately explains the implications or meaning of the act - is, to me, only loosely connected to the previous events, and without proper "set up" fails to provide a satisfying conclusion to what was, up to that point, evolving into one of the best films of the 80s. It settles on being "astounding."
