This is a movie that tries to be too many things: science-fiction, avant-garde, raised awareness, alternate histories etc.
It does not manage: the final result, as served to the hapless viewer, is a gray goo of too many strands, very difficult to follow. The director set out to do many things. Perhaps he actually managed, but the result, neither original nor impressive, is impossible to watch.
Also, 2 hrs 35 min may be justified for Angelopoulos, who invariably has a story to tell and will do so at his pace, or perhaps for Röhmer, who will show you the waves hitting the surf line for five minutes, after some intense moment.
This guy is nowhere near Angelopoulos or Röhmer.
A number of Belgians who have reviewed it very positively may have been influenced by the country of birth of the director (Belgium, you guessed...).
It does not manage: the final result, as served to the hapless viewer, is a gray goo of too many strands, very difficult to follow. The director set out to do many things. Perhaps he actually managed, but the result, neither original nor impressive, is impossible to watch.
Also, 2 hrs 35 min may be justified for Angelopoulos, who invariably has a story to tell and will do so at his pace, or perhaps for Röhmer, who will show you the waves hitting the surf line for five minutes, after some intense moment.
This guy is nowhere near Angelopoulos or Röhmer.
A number of Belgians who have reviewed it very positively may have been influenced by the country of birth of the director (Belgium, you guessed...).