FAUST - MIFF 2012

There are some films, I am embarrassed to say, that are just too dense for me to understand, and sadly Russian filmmaker Aleksandr Sokurov’s “Faust” is one of those.  However the story of “Faust” may not appeal to me either even though my basic understanding of the story, that Faust makes a deal with the devil, his soul in exchange for unlimited knowledge, I find very intriguing.  Even the version F.W. Murnau, whom I consider one of the finest directors ever, made back in 1926 was something I could not get into.

This version however is more like art than cinema (even though I understand cinema to be art), as characters wonder the countryside spouting out philosophical theories far too complex for me to grasp.  This is a very long film, and sadly I felt every minute of it.  Going into “Faust”  I wanted it to blow my mind, as my recent excursion into Russian cinema whet my appetite for this film, but from the outset I just could not get into it at all.  From what I have read even though it is based on Goethe’s play, it barely stays close to it, the bare skeleton of the story is there but that is it.  The deal with the devil is what I know most about the story of “Faust” but in this version the deal itself doesn’t happen until about two hours into the film, therefore the film is all set-up and no pay off.

Visually the film is amazing and the images look like paintings.  The colour palette Sokurov has used for “Faust” is unique with pale greens and yellows taking center stage.  I was actually shocked to learn that the director of photography for “Faust” was Bruno Delbonnel who also recently did Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows”.  The difference between these two films is like night and day, and shows Delbonnel’s range.  In fact it was the images of the piece that were able to get me through the film, especially when Faust ends up in the land of the dead (hell?).  It is magnificently creepy looking and for me the best thing about the film.  However Sokurov and Delbonnel use a weird camera technique or even lens that distorts a lot of the images throughout the film.  It is an effect I have always hated because it flattens the image and makes it look very cheap, and there seemed to be no rhyme or reason as to when or why they used this effect.  It would just happen mid scene every now and then and then not be used again.

From an acting point of view, everyone seemed to be doing a good job, but to be honest I cannot be sure because I was so focused on trying to work out everything else that was going on.  I will say that the young actress who played the role of Margarete, Isolda Dychauk, was very eye catching and had the heavenly presence that you could see why Faust was tempted by her.

Overall, “Faust” was a mystery to me.  I really wanted to like it beyond its visuals, but it was far too dense for me to get much out of.  I am not going to say that it was a bad film, but I got very little enjoyment out of it myself.

2 Stars.