© 2024 Pavel Konyukhov

The Lonely Voice of Man (Odinokiy Golos Cheloveka) by A. Sokurov

This is my review of Alexander Sokurov’s first film, which was made in 1978 as a diploma work at the All Soviet National Institute of Cinematography (VGIK).  However it was banned by the Soviet officials, and its first large showing didn’t occur until 1987 in the time of perestroika.

It was interesting to examine the first work of this genius after having had, for several years, such high regard for Sokurov’s later works (“The Days of Eclipse”, “Mother and Son”, “Father and Son”, “Taurus”, etc.  My reviews of these films are on my web-site.)

The film is set somewhere in provincial Russia, just after the October socialist revolution of 1917 – a doleful place and a dim time, a time for soul searching.

A young man (Nikita) returns from the battles of the Civil War.  A young woman (Lyuba) meets him.  They knew each other briefly before. He is from the lower class while she is from the educated class.  She is hungry all the time and he gives her some food.  They decide to get married, and they do.  A simple story.

But the film creates something very complicated in the mind of the viewer because of the mise-en-scène with sparse dialogue, death in the air, sulky scenes of landscapes, a silent monk, and a fisherman who wants to feel death in the water of the river.  “A man would not wish a bad thing for himself; so why is death not welcomed by everyone?  Maybe death is better…”

After some things which were unspoken but felt, Nikita goes away to work at the market place in the city.  His father comes and tells him about Lyuba.  She is suffering a lot without Nikita and decides to drown herself in the river.  So Nikita returns home.  “Do you still suffer?” asks Nikita.  “No, I don’t feel anything.  Do you regret living with me now?” asks Lyuba.  “No, I am well.  I have got used to being happy with you,” he replies.

“This is the story of a weak heart, for which happiness was hard work”, Alexander Sokurov wrote in his diary.

 

Pavel Konyukhov