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Father and Son Director: Aleksandr Sokurov Number of Items: 1 Format: Color Audience Rating: Unrated Running Time: 83 minutes Studio: Wellspring Media, In Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2004-10-26 Buy from Amazon

From Amazon.com There's nothing ordinary or everyday in the movie world of Alexander Sokurov, as fans of the Russian director's Mother and Son and Russian Ark are well aware. This film bears no literal relation to Mother and Son, but the sense of depth is similar. Father and Son appears to be about the separation of the fiercely devoted title characters, who look more like brothers. The son is newly in the military, which changes the dynamic in the apartment they share in St. Petersburg (the top-floor flat frequently leads them to the precarious-looking roof). Not a great deal happens, but anything on screen (however obscure) is always imbued with a force that suggests a life lived with more intensity than usual. Sokurov uses a burnished, sepia tone that makes the movie look as though it's already passed into memory. This film has nothing to do with storytelling, and everything to do with poetry. --Robert Horton From Description From the Director of Russian Ark and Mother and Son, Alexander Sokurov, comes Father and Son. Following in the footsteps of his beloved father, Alexei attends military school. There, he begins dating a young woman, who becomes increasingly jealous of the intense relationship between the father and son.

Customer Reviews: Total numer of reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 "Worth The Patience Required to Watch" Sokurov's movies take some getting used to. This is so dissimilar from standard American moviemaking that to call both things "movies" is to compare fois gras to corn dogs - both are food . . . but, really . . . Again, unlike most American cinema, Father and Son is haunted by some images of homoeroticism that Sokurov (initially at least) denied - but the moments, as beautiful and lyrical as they appear, may give one pause for concern - if not for the homoeroticism, then for the fact that this is father and son and the physicality (especially of the opening scene) at times borders on sexual. Repeated viewings however, will fix that for after a while it became evident to me that there was nothing unnatural about this relationship - and that most of us don't have that kind of physicality in our lives: most family pets receive more physical affection than actual family members. Father and Son is a movie that will haunt long after its final frames and provoke thoughts about family and relationships as few films do. "Disappointing" When I watched Mother and Son, and then came to Amazon to look at the reviews, I was stunned to see the enormous praise being given to Sokurov. I thought the film should have been a "short". While reading the reviews, most of them written by people who are obviously intelligent (or at least pretend well - I think it's the former), I felt, frankly, stupid. Why didn't I appreciate the film as much as so many others seemed to? Having watched Father and Son, I don't feel quite so stupid. Again, there are intelligently written reviews in support of this film, and it is certainly a touching story about the love of a father for his son, and the idea that "a father crucifies his son", and "a son offers himself up for crucifixion"(the last might be more of a paraphrase than a quote) is intriguing, but as with Mother and Son the boredom was excruciating. When Alexei and his girlfriend were eyeing each other through the partly open window, I wanted to scream at them. There was nothing realistic about their interplay whatsoever, and their odd movements seemed to be inserted purely for visual effect. Which wasn't necessarily good, because it was annoying. So was the camera shot through the X-Ray. What did that show? I acknowledge that I'm a better critic of books than I am of film. But I went into this movie wanting to like it, and gave it every benefit of the doubt. In the end, the movie failed me. "Thoughtful and Serious Treatment of Intimacy and Limits of Morality" Director Aleksandr Sorukov's Father and Son deals with the thorny subject of intimacy between generations on the paternal side, with the boundaries between what is acceptable and what is not blurred on the subconscious level. Sexuality as the extreme passionate end on the scale of the love-and-hate spectrum is something that we do not speak about and often avoid the mentioning of; however, when the desire of the partner long lost is transferred to one having the same resembling and one borne, the outcome could be torment for the immediate parties involved, as suggested by the film. Tensions arose from "lust" of the body ensued and finally resolved quietly in another dream. Denial is a natural and common expression of the characters, who refuse to see and thereby accepting the truth of the situation they were in even though they knew the realities in front of them by heart. This behavior is characteristic of individuals exposed to prolonged desperation and hopelessness, a condition the post Cold-War era Russia suffers from acknowledged by most political observers in the international academic community. The cast was predominantly male, and the characterization places emphasis on the replacement of the fatherly role and the displacement of the motherly which came about in the end. It is interesting to note that the coming of age of the son led to the final realization of the death of the mother by the father, and resignation at the acceptance of ultimate solitude. Alongside the major plot, there is a contrasting subplot in which a friend's son search for the remnants of his own father - a friend of the older protagonist; but, without divulging any further details this supports the main plot effectively and adds strength to the concept of the film. Allusions used in the script were elegant and graceful without sacrificing much to over-assertiveness encountered in other films. Moreover, the dialogues rest well and comfortably with the images captured on film. No lyricism or exaggeration either in length or in emotional reach was observed during the entirely of the viewing. One final remark is that the level of respect the director gave to the setting and the subject matter is remarkable. The dream-like setting renders an ethereal quality to the production. "Masterful, yet a little disappointing" I had high expectations for this film because I thoroughly enjoyed Sokurov's Mother and Son. What works in this film are the cinematography, the acting of the son and supporting characters, and the bond between father and son-- in essence, what this film's all about. Sokurov masterfully frames each scene as a delicate, russet-colored portait, whose subjects are captured in soft, diffused light. Absolutely beautiful. Aleksei Nejmyshev as the son gives a credible and engaging performance as the son. He reminds me of French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo. The supporting cast is likewise on-target; Marina Zasukhina as the girlfriend is charming. The depiction of the closeness of father and son is remarkable, and an area not explored enough in cinema. What doesn't work for this film is Andrei Shchetinin as the father. His acting is noticeably deficient. He does well enough in some scenes, but fails miserably and painfully in others. And the thing is you want him to do well for the sake of the film, but, alas, he smiles too damned much. Sometimes it's a nervous smile, sometimes a silly smile, sometimes a smile just because the camera's on me and I don't know what else to do. Don't do anything, let us guess. I picked up on this during my first viewing, and the second viewing was painstakingly distracting because of it. This is a serious flaw to the movie and Sokurov should have caught it. And, especially, for Russians--Russians don't smile unless it's truly something to smile about. Bottom line, he's just a little too fawning. The five-star ranking is a mistake, and for some reason Amazon lets you edit your review, but not your ranking. This really is about a 3-star film. "Once in a While a Great Master Appears: Aleksandr Sokurov" Aleksandr Sokurov is as artist of the highest order. Not only does he understand his medium of film as his chosen avenue of creating art, he has the gifts of ingenuity, fresh creativity, and daring that make his works unique and stunning without any of the hoopla of 'experimental' filmmakers: Sokurov honors his humanity and celebrates the miracle of life with every stroke of his hand. For those first introduced to Sokurov by viewing his extraordinary RUSSIAN ARK, a film of such importance historically as well as culturally and artistically that it stands alone: the conception and pre-camera preparation of covering 300 years of Russian history as played out in the Hermitage Museum buildings allowed this master to turn on the camera and record non-stop for the hour and a half of the complete story. The result is breathtakingly beautiful and enormously educational and enlightening - all that one can ask from a work of art. In FATHER AND SON Sokurov has distilled all of his energy into a quiet, rhapsodic, sensually elegant examination of the relationship between a father and son. There is not much story: there is much being said. A father (the handsome and sensual Andrei Shchetinin) lives with his son Aleksei (Aleksei Nejmyshev - as handsome and virile and tender as Shchetinin) in a rooftop flat in St. Petersberg. The father has had a military career and the son is now at age 19 in military school studying medicine along with his training. The mother is dead and the father and son are closely bonded by her absence and by an amazing love for each other. Aleksei has had a girlfriend (the incandescently beautiful Marina Zasukhina) but seeing that she is competing unsuccessfully for Aleksei's love for his father, she informs him she has found another love. Another young military student Sasha (Aleksandr Razbash) observes the strong bond between Aleksei and his father and being without a father, asks to move in their flat. Knowing that their time as unified family is limited by the way life passes, the two remain living alone. Aleksei has dreams that approach nightmares but generally deal with separation anxiety. The father is always there to console Aleksei after his dreams and gently encourages him to pursue the life that will bring him happiness. And that is really the bulk of the story, simple and short as it may sound. The brilliance of Sokurov's genius is in his means of telling this simple tale. He has elected to film using varying lenses and limiting his color spectrum to the sepia tones that resemble daguerreotypes come to life. His use of moments of Tchaikovsky melodies is sensitive and additive to the mood. His ability to linger over extended physical embraces between this father and son says more about love than any filmmaker before him. Part of the magic he creates is due to the physical beauty of the two actors embracing in the nude in the soft winter light of their rooftop flat. Some viewers have found this homoerotic and are concerned about that aspect of a father with son. A pity, that, being concerned about homoeroticism: the passion between father and son should be able to be viewed on every level for its richness, not for the fear of censorship. FATHER AND SON is one of the most beautiful artworks on film I have ever viewed. I felt the same about RUSSIAN ARK. I eagerly await viewing his MOTHER AND SON and all the other works that hopefully will flow from Sokurov's gifted mind and talent. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, March 2005