Confession

The spiritual diary of a captain presented as a sublime confession. This is one of the most daring and disturbing films by Sokurov. Structured on five episodes of the same duration, the film draws parallels between the crossing of a ship, the uncertain destination of Russia, and the personal voyage of a captain bound for the frontiers of his deepest fears. The first two episodes meticulously describe daily chores and the routine aboard ship anchored in Murmansk to patrol the Arctic. The three final parts progressively move towards radical abstraction, both subjective and with strong political allusions. Confession is of a strict formalism transforming documented data into pure lyricism, in the manner of Sokurov. As in Mother and Son, Moloch, Taurus, and other films by the director that are now classics, this film can also be seen as a profound analysis of the effects of isolation on the human soul.

Was born in 1951 in the city of Podorvikha, Russia. His work, even as a student, was unacceptable to Russian bureaucracy, and he was accused of formalism and of assuming "anti-Soviet views". His first feature, The Lonely Human Voice (1978, 26th Mostra) was refused as a graduating project by the VGIK, the Russian Cinema Institute. Sokurov`s films were shown in Brazil since 1997, at the 21st Mostra, with Mother and Son. He had a retrospective of 33 of his films at 26th Mostra, when was also released the first book in Portuguese about his work, Aleksandr Sokúrov, by publishing house Cosac Naify. Among his most important films are Dolce (1999, 24th Mostra), Elegy of a Voyage (2001, 25th Mostra), The Russian Arc (2002, 26th Mostra), Father and Son (2003, 27th Mostra) Alexandra (2007, 32nd Mostra), in addition to the films that complete the Power Tetralogy: Moloch (1999, 23rd Mostra) about Hitler; Taurus, about Lenin (2001, 26th Mostra), and The Sun, about the Japanese emperor Hirohito (2005, 30th Mostra).

43ª MOSTRA INTERNACIONAL DE CINEMA

43ª MOSTRA INTERNACIONAL DE CINEMA