Flawless Art!

Rating: 10/10 (26 February 2006)

There's a unity of style and content about this film which is at the heart of its power to move the viewer and to make the viewer reflect. From the vast plains location shots, to the intimacy of Copote's conversations with the murderers, silence as much as sound contributes to the quasi-religious aura which surrounds the narrative. Even the brief flash-backs to the unnecessary killings do not disturb this air of reflection, so well are they integrated into the story as revealed to the manipulative, but ultimately distraught Copote. As an indication of this film's power, during the closing titles the Oxford audience lingered, uncharacteristically long in the auditorium on 27th February.