Movie Review Example on "The Sacrifice" (1986): Delving into Tarkovsky's Enigmatic Film

Introduction

“The Sacrifice” (1986) is one film that has been interpreted as being the most significant film of one filmmaker "Andrei Tarkovsky” as he died in December of the same year as its release, the year 1986 when he died of cancer; he also published a book. Tarkovsky, a Russian, was born in 1932; he was popularly known to be a filmmaker, film theorist, writer, and theater director; he is also considered one of the most influential directors of all time cinema history. He only made five feature films in his career: "The Sacrifice," which is occupied by long tracking shots (popular with Tarkovsky), and a strong gravity packed with a sense of optimism.

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The Plot

This film's overall themes and watching ability rely on the mood, and the powerful visuals for anyone attempting to provide a detailed synopsis is sadly disappointed. The film centers on a man named ‘Alexander’ the protagonist who is an intellectual after the announcement of an impending “World War III” and tries to reason with God to stop this looming doom (Depoortere,60). This paper's main objective is to watch a scene from the movie using one’s imagination to write a story that is devoid of the actual film. This story is creative and original from the characters in the scene.

The Scene Synopsis

The narrative starts with the protagonist 'Tommy Chizkiyahu, 'who is on the verge of a mental breakdown, uses a ladder to leave his house after setting it ablaze, and paces in a chaotic state a few feet from the place that is now burning. As the home continues to burn, four people appear from a distance running towards him, while Avery cries out his name. When the group gets to him, they start asking what has happened. And to everyone's dismay, Tommy confesses that he did it and tries to explain why he resumes running irrationally even after saying nothing.

The Puzzling Moment

He then approaches a young woman who has appeared from nowhere but becomes restrained by the others. An ambulance appears with no prior explanation two paramedics start chasing Tommy around who is truly confused and still running is caught and the ambulance drives off with him in it. The young woman gets on her bike and rides away, after which the group, like an audience, sits in a puddle of water quietly looking at their ill-prepared tragedy. After this, a young boy is seen carrying a bucket full of water stranding on towards the scorching mayhem where he hands Tommy the bucket to help extinguish the blaze, which is by now too big to contain.

The Analytical Review

Tommy was taken to a mental asylum where after tireless tests and treatment procedures, the medical personnel at the hospital diagnosed Tommy with "Fregoli Delusion," an illness where a patient believes that two or more people are the same. Its most common symptoms are frequent hallucinations, cosmic illusions, and a shortage of self-consciousness. It was later discovered that Tommy had spent his earlier years in a Nazi concentration camp where his five-year-old son and young wife were murdered in a gas chamber.

Summary

Tom never forgot even after many years, he hallucinated, seeing his dead son and wife everywhere and was convinced they were still alive; he also believed setting fire to his house would somehow bring them back. This story strongly displays a man struggling with mental illness who exhibits intense loneliness and isolation, a person who feels lonely in a crowded place and whose undying love for his family has brought about a rift between him and the rest of the world.

Work Cited

Depoortere, Frederiek. "Self-Sacrifice and the Other (s): Reflections on Andrei Tarkovsky's The Sacrifice." Sacrifice in Modernity: Community, Ritual, Identity. Brill, 2020. 54-70.