Confession

  • 260'
  • Russia
  • 1998
Last year a retrospective was dedicated to the video work of Alexander Sokurov in Rotterdam. It was to a certain extent a discovery, as many saw Sokurov as a real maker of film. However video turned out to be an interesting - and economically viable - medium for the Russian master.Povinnost' is a long and detailed film, inspired by the diary of a submarine captain. The film is made up of five parts and is an investigation into the thoughts and feelings of the captain, a kind of monologue intérieure, or a cinematographic novel in monologue firm, about the life of the captain, his career and the fate of his country, Russia.This film essay is hardly a 'documentary' in the traditional sense of the word. The literary form prevails on the screen, the metaphorical narrative has been put in second place to the literal word and images. These images are hardly ever autonomous, but are directly linked to sentences and words, sometimes even through one single word. Using editing and a meticulously compiled soundtrack, the film-maker tries to break free of a natural approach to things, in order to fathom an inner and personal truth.
  • 260'
  • Russia
  • 1998
Director
Alexander Sokurov
Country of production
Russia
Year
1998
Festival Edition
IFFR 1999
Length
260'
Medium
Betacam SP PAL
Original title
Povinnost'
Language
Russian
Producers
Nadezda Studio, Svetlana Voloshina
Sales
Nadezda Studio
Screenplay
Alexander Sokurov
Editor
Alexander Sokurov
Director
Alexander Sokurov
Country of production
Russia
Year
1998
Festival Edition
IFFR 1999
Length
260'
Medium
Betacam SP PAL
Original title
Povinnost'
Language
Russian
Producers
Nadezda Studio, Svetlana Voloshina
Sales
Nadezda Studio
Screenplay
Alexander Sokurov
Editor
Alexander Sokurov