Bryan Schutmaat recently noted the similarities between Ingmar Bergman and Andrei Tarkovsky. I just watched The Sacrifice, and as I am less familiar with Bergman, I drew my own parallels to Jeff Wall’s work. The opening scene in particular really reminded me of Wall’s A Sudden Gust of Wind, which was made a few years later, and draws inspiration from the woodcuts of Katsushika Hokusai. The two frames seem so closely related though.
Anyway, the long takes (up to 9 minutes long), incredible acting, and attention to detail in The Sacrifice remind me of the genuine nature a photograph can posess. In the same way that Wall’s work, even though it is heavily staged, still feels embedded in reality. This was definitely one of the best films I’ve watched in a long time, and I have a lot more of Tarkovsky’s work on my list. And hopefully a lot more of Jeff Wall’s photographs to look at.