This is a very dogmatic, unfocused and, worst of all, a dull film. The premise is poetic, rather beautiful in fact, and had the potential to be interesting. But the metaphors are laid on too thick and too fast, relying on stereotypes of femininity to justify Freudian psychological damage, and religious iconography as a redemptive pursuit. The Mother / Whore figure as a sole cause of all the trauma the main protagonist, and Christianity is his only saviour. I will point out that I have nothing against religious iconography in a film, or films about faith in Christianity. But the heavy handed nature of the treatment of Christian doctrine restricts the viewing pleasure for a none Estonian, none Christian viewer to a level of analytical study over film pleasure.
The frustratingly obtuse and ambiguous dialogue may be poorly translated, or simply lose the impact in the course of translation. But if the subtitles are an accurate representation of what is said on screen, it's clear that the film was made for an extremely select audience. An audience with an extensive biblical knowledge in order to derive sense from the sections of prayer (or song I am unsure which)that intersect each section.
One of the films few redeeming features in the central performance from the elderly man one the island. The film is carried through on the basis of his performance. Without his presence, and the use of a cut away to a book to indicate the start of each section,the film would simply lose all momentum, drifting aimlessly from one scene to another.
The frustratingly obtuse and ambiguous dialogue may be poorly translated, or simply lose the impact in the course of translation. But if the subtitles are an accurate representation of what is said on screen, it's clear that the film was made for an extremely select audience. An audience with an extensive biblical knowledge in order to derive sense from the sections of prayer (or song I am unsure which)that intersect each section.
One of the films few redeeming features in the central performance from the elderly man one the island. The film is carried through on the basis of his performance. Without his presence, and the use of a cut away to a book to indicate the start of each section,the film would simply lose all momentum, drifting aimlessly from one scene to another.