Innovatively taps into the obsessive darkness which may possess any man at the precipice of crisis. The film interestingly frames the present through a camera lens altered by arches in the top corners. Not sure it adds anything substantive other than intrigue, but it's still eye-catching. The plot is fairly simple but Sjöström manages to extract powerful expressions from his main actors. The extremism of some of the character trajectories amplifies the devastation and turmoil lurking within. I would say the movie successfully taps into the tragedy of the monastery but doesn't rise above anything tremendous.
Innovatively taps into the obsessive darkness which may possess any man at the precipice of crisis. The film interestingly frames the present through a camera lens altered by arches in the top corners. Not sure it adds anything substantive other than intrigue, but it's still eye-catching. The plot is fairly simple but Sjöström manages to extract powerful expressions from his main actors. The extremism of some of the character trajectories amplifies the devastation and turmoil lurking within. I would say the movie successfully taps into the tragedy of the monastery but doesn't rise above anything tremendous.
