Faust (Alexander Sokurov, 2011): Russia

Reviewed by Laura Lopez. Viewed at the AFI Fest 2011.

Faust completes as the he fourth and last film of director Alexander Sokurov’s tetralogy of abused and corrupted power within each individual film of his tetralogy: Moloch, Taurus and The Sun. Sokurov brings the German legend and renovates an adaptation of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust, a scholar doctor that thirst for knowledge and makes a deal with the devil for unlimited knowledge. A classic tale of a man selling his soul to the devil for knowledge, self-gratification. Faust is a film that conveys the conception of man’s bearing natural power and the will to acquire an even more powerful enlightenment.  Set in the 19 century the fairytale landscape of the country leads one into a land of infinite and yet restricted world of beauty.

The enclosed paranoiac characters embody the greed and abnormalities of human’s reaction towards obtainable indulgences.  An unhappy man, Faust (Johannes Seiler), purges for enlightenment, quite dangerous for a human to obtain an intellect that is so profound and powerful. Life there is no happiness without freedom, nor is it easy to obtain happiness without knowledge and the pressures of life.  Especially when the obstacle of a female lingers in one’s mind, one person belonging to another.

The opening scene, a long take, begins at the set of autumn, the beginning of death, [descending] from the high skies into the light and beauty of the country in what appears to be in the 19 century. Dr. Faust in search for the location of the soul is left in a profound debate with himself, scrutiny. The search for freedom and knowledge opens up with memorable dissection of a corpse with a laceration that opens for the audience to see the inside of a man. Challenged and left to question the gods and the meaning of life he compares observations with a cynical tone.  He deprives himself only to work and search for meaning. He is left with hunger and visits his father, of no help for enlightenment and still starving he goes to a shop.  The moneylender (Anton Adasinsky), who un-behold is the devil makes a deal with Faust who signs with his blood frank and under liability. Companied they roam the town that reveal each other’s persona and the devil doing a service and trouble for Faust. At a bath the disfigured devil leaves an imprinted visual of the devil, cringing it does not bother Faust, no because a young lady Margarete (Isolda Dychauk) whose angelic presence and body attracts him mesmerizes, aspiring to have her.  At a tavern Faust maneuvering leads to a fatal action, killing a young man, who is Margarete.’s brother. Faust and Margarete spend time together and eventually sleep together regardless of the death of the brother. The actions of Faust lead him into what the devil’s predicament of Faust.

The deep focus and framing of the film shows the permeating light of a gloomy country town reflecting the inhabitants that wore dark colored garments that create a somber atmosphere which is prominent to carry the legend of Faust.  A winner of the Golden Lion, Future Film Festival Digital Award, and SIGNIS Award the film portrays a man’s self-inflicting danger of the consequential endeavor for profound knowledge and freedom through spectacular editing and production.

I appreciate that the film left me to reevaluate the extent of man’s tenacity over power; high potency that greed and willpower of knowledge effecting man’s sanity.