Malmkrog

The guests who come to the mansion of aristocratic landowner and man of the world Nikolai over the Christmas holidays are hand-picked. Among them is a politician, a young countess and a general with his wife. They converse and dine – what a wonderful, much-missed way of life – indulge in parlour games and discuss the right form of authority in the face of political impotence as well as progress and morality, death and the Antichrist. As the debate becomes more heated, cultural differences become increasingly apparent and the mood grows tense. In the end, everyone will become a victim of his or her own discourse. Puiu is a man of extremes; every film is an exercise in aesthetics, plunging us into the depths of time. Continuing in the same vein, Malmkrog, which is based on a text by Russian philosopher Vladimir Solovyov, is a global journey through history and a tour de force of thought. Nevertheless, the current work stands out stylistically on account of its perfect mise en scène and the era's precise look, reinforcing the intellectual heights of the œuvre. A fascinating fresco that also delivers a razor-sharp criticism of our own times. (Berlinale)