Nicholas Andreola

**90 ** *"How shall I defend the wax fortresses of my love from your crimson flames?"* This may just be the most abstract and nonsensical film I've ever seen. I'm not really sure how to review this, how to rate it, or how to even describe it. What I can say about it is that it was absolutely gorgeous. Without exaggeration, every frame is a painting and the color is simply magnificent. I can say I pulled one major theme from this film, which is displayed in my quote above, which is my favorite of the film. The theme being "shielding oneself from things and the affects it has on said person". We can see this in the main character's life, as he is immediately ostracized in the church as he grows up. We see him alone as the rest of the members remain together. We see all of them eating pomegranates, while Sayat remains fruitless. I took these pomegranates to represent sin, which tells us that religion can seperate those from others. Is "the right" religion justifiable to follow if it leads us away from others? The direct opposite is shown in a later scene in the church, as a man recites prayer to a flock of sheep. I think these sheep are meant to be regular churchgoers, and their being sheep shows us that religion has become a blind following. Parajanov is trying to show the failure of religion, it's becoming more obligatory and less individual. I think the most direct and iconic visual representation of the main theme lies in the red and blue women and their respective veils. Their cover their eyes with veils, yet they still see the outside. I can't fully describe it, but it feels poetic and important to me. This rating could drop later down the line, but for now a 90 seems fair.

**82** I've been meaning to see *Atlantis *for a while and I can confidently say I did enjoy this film. It felt unique to itself and had a unique vibe that you don't catch in many other places. I think the ensemble cast was fun, eccentric, and lovable. My major flaw is the pacing and plot structure. I feel like Atlantis itself wasn't explored enough, and everything in the second half was rushed, which capped its emotional impact on me. So while it had a lot of potential, it was just good to me.