this is the first time I can ever remember not finishing a film. I gave it an hour, and when a film like this stands at a 3-hour runtime, I simply am not going to make it.
Visually, this movie is intriguing. Some of the transitions have this effect that looks like they are overlaying multiple sheets of film while also running them at, like, one frame per second. Often a scene will just show footage of men working in a sawmill for five minutes set to Swedish folk music. There were some shots that were visually interesting, but I am not the kind of viewer this film is aimed at.
The best and worst part of this film is that, despite being made in 1966, it absolutely feels like a silent film from the dawn of modern cinema. That could be a positive, as the film’s earlier scenes are set in the mid-1910s. So in many ways, the film does a great job of capturing the moment. But what a boring moment that is.
I would think, relative to the average person, I am more open to an obtuse cinematic experience, but this pushed it too far for me. I think there are elements of Swedish culture that maybe are lost on me, and maybe if you were a true cinephile with a greater appreciation for visual storytelling, you might enjoy this more than I did. If this film was actually made in, say, the 1920s, I might forgive some aspects of the film with an awareness of it being of its era. When I think of this film’s contemporaries made in 1966, I just can’t in good conscience say this film is enjoyable.
It feels like at maybe an hour or an hour-and-a-half runtime, this could have been a fun little film that is a respite from the typical cinematic experience. But at a 3-hour runtime, this film asks the viewer to commit in a way that I think is only justified if you were studying film or in pursuit of understanding cinema in a way that is beyond my feeble brain.
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