A Meditation on Life and Death

Rating: 10/10 (23 November 2006)

This was an amazing film! The visuals were absolutely stunning, hearkening back to the past through the use of non-digital imagery and sets/matte paintings while standing as an evolutionary move in the stagnancy of current cinema. The storyline was heartfelt and compelling, despite its non-linearity. The masterfully constructed alternating timelines/realties help drive the themes of life, love, salvation, and death while never resorting to overt or explicit means of delivering these ideas. The overall feel of the film is intense, driving, tragic, and heartshakingly sad, but all the while somehow maintains its own sense of hope and "awe." I'm not even sure what genre to classify this film under. Many would call it science fiction, and I would somewhat agree. But its also a romance, a period drama, a modern medical thriller? Who knows....It's genre defying, and restores my faith in the art of film.
Please, if you are a human being with functional eyes, watch this film.
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