简介：Freedom(2000) (ReportDeadLinks) Rating:6.1/10 Runtime:96 Language:French,Berber Country:France|Portugal|Lithuania Color:Color IMDbLink:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0255177/ Director:SharunasBartas Cast: ValentinasMasalskis...TheMan FatimaEnnaflaoui...TheGirl AxelNeumann...TheOther CoreyLarge...Soldier Description: AdrugtraffickingoperationfailsandtwomenandalocalgirlareleftashoreontheMoroccanCoast.Theywanderwordlesslyintotheinlanddesertinsearchoffood,waterandshelter.Whenthetwomengotheirseparateways,thegirlislefttofollowoneofthemdeeperintotheabandonedlandscapes.Althoughtheysharenocommonlanguage,atranquilbondgrowsbetweenthegirlandthemanshechooses. Ahandfulofstrangershopingtofindfreedomdiscoveritisnoeasyquarryinthismetaphoricdrama.Fourpeoplestandneartheshoreofaseasidecommunityandboardasmallboathopingtosailaway;theyaresoonattackedbyborderguards,andoneofthemdoesnotsurvive.Thethreeremainingsailors--twomen(AxelNeumanandValentinasMasalskis)andawoman(FatimaEnnafloui)--washuponthebeachofanislandstrewnwithrocks.Noneofthemspeakthesamelanguage,andtheystruggletomaketheirwayontheunforgivingcoastline,oftenatoddswitheachother.Theyfindtheyarenotaloneontheisland--anArabsettlementandacadreofsoldiersarealreadylivingthere;themilitarymenattackthem,andtheArabsrefusetocometotheiraid.Freedomwasshownincompetitionatthe2000VeniceFilmFestival. Avoicefromthefrontierofbothpost-post-industrialcivilizationandart-filmreductionism,LithuanianfilmmakerSarunasBartasmaybetheultimatelitmustestforhardcorecineastes.Hisfilmsrepresentapolarcapofinhospitablecinematicordeal—theywithholdorthodoxpleasuressostrenuouslyyouimaginethefilmmakerasamarchingascetic,disgustedwithadecadentmovieworld.ABartasfilmrarelymoves,andisneverhosttomorethanafewmumblingmomentsofinconsequentialdialogue—youarrivelongafterlifehasalreadywounddownintohopelesssilence.Strippedofeventhebaresteffortstowardnarrativeandcharacter,Bartas'saestheticalsocallsforthespectacularcaptureofnaturaldesolation,whetheritbethehovelsofLithuaniancapitalVilnius,ortheSiberianSayanMountains,whereTofolarnomadsstillhunkerdownamidthereindeerdung. ImmersionintotheAnthologyretrowillknee-jerkedlybringSokurovandTarkovskytomind,butthey'replansequencesong-and-dancemencomparedtoBartas,whosuggestsbothGodard'srecentwatchfulnessandHerzog'sdevotiontoextremelandscapes.Thefilms,startingwiththesemi-docfeaturetteTotheDayPassed-By(1990),furtherskirttotalsensorydeprivationbywayofextraordinaryambient-layer-cakesoundtracks,seethingwithdistantvoices,windroar,mechanicalwhitenoise,pin-dropminutiae,andthedespairingwheezeofrelentlessexhalations.Bartasiswhollyconcernedwiththedire,sun-crystallizedlocationsthemselves,andthequalityofeternaldowntimespentintheplanet'sforgottenvalleys. AzombifiedportraitoftheVilniusstreetshauntedbyashamblinghomelesshulk,ToTheDayPassed-Byisanethnographicnightmare—fewplacesonEarthareasbombedoutbyindustrializeddecayasex-Sovietnations.(Onestartlingsequencewatchesamassivequeueofcoatedfiguresfilingintoadoorway;onlyafterseveralminutes,whenacarpassesintheforeground,areweshakenfromtheDeChiricoweirdness.)AnditlookslikeeverythingyoueverthrewawayendedupinLithuaniaassecondhandgoods.Bartas'sfirstfeature,ThreeDays(1991),isaseverestumblethroughVilniusbytwoguysandasinglegirl(KaterinaGolubeva),whotryandfailtofindasuitableplacetofucknearthebusyyetdissoluteBalticharbor-works.We'reneversurewhatthey'researchingfor,butthere'slittleelsethiswind-blastedaussereuropahastooffer. GolubevaisinnearlyallofBartas'sfilms,but,giventhedirector'sminimalism,sheismoreofacompellinglyemotionlessvisagethananactress.(Itissurprisingthat,basedonherworkforBartas,LeosCaraxcastherinPolaX,andevenmoresothatsheactedupastorm.)Sheisliterallyair-droppedintothecenterofBartas'sbestfilm,FewofUs(1996),materializingfromahelicopterontoahugehilloflooserocksittakesafullminutetotreacherouslydescend.WhosheisorwhysheisinfiltratingtheTofolarsintheirremotevalleyaremerelythefirstquestionsBartasisdeliberateinneveranswering;whenafewdrunkenvillagerseventuallycloseinforarape,themoviecutsawaytothegelidexteriorsagain,andwhenwereturntheconfrontationisover,withastabbedbodyslumpedonthefloor.Outside,thetreescreakinthewind. Bartasmaybebuildingthebitterestcareervisioninfilmhistory.Hisfirstfourfilmsarecenteredsquarelyontheanomieofpost-Sovietdestitution—theirspecificityistheirvindication—buthislatestfilmsareadifferentstory.TheHouse(1997),co-writtenbyGolubeva,isameanderingtourofadilapidatedmanorfilledwithsymbolicnonsense:ahugelitterofpuppies,anoldmancultivatingamini-graveyard,acrowdofnakedchildren,andsoon.(Caraxshowsup,too.)Nudgedintoapretentiousmodernism,thefilmmaker'srigorousstrategyfallsonitsinexpressiveface,andBartasseemedtorealizeithimself—heculminatesthemoviewithanindulgentlyTarr-like,room-to-roomtravelingshot.Freedom(2000)isBartasreassertinghisperspectiveinwhatbeginsasanalmostfullycontextualizedadventurestory:twomenandawomanstrandedintheMoroccandesertafterasmugglingtripgoesawry(thatsingle,distantlyobservedscene,withthecoastpatrolboatfiringawaywhilebothboatsnearlycapsizeinroughseas,isoneofBartas'smostbreathtaking).Speechisauselessrecourseinthisdangerouslygorgeousterrain,andthestarvingcharactersjoinusinsimplykillingtimebeforetheearthswallowsthem.ThatmaybeBartas'sessentialidea:Thewaitingisthehardestpart. Insofarasthisslow,visuallystunning,determinedly'poetic'filmhasastory,itconcernstwomenandagirlwhoalightontheemptyandwindsweptMoroccancoastafteradrugtraffickingoperationgoeswrong.Separatelyandtogethertheywanderthedesert,tryingtosurvive.Itwouldbeeasytodismissthisalmostdialogue-free,enigmaticpieceaspretentiousnonsense.Certainly,theportentoustitlesuggeststhatwriter/directorBartashasallegoricalaspirationswithregardtothehumancondition,butthefilmsimplycannotsustainthem.It'salsoarguablethatthepictorialismandmiserabilisttoneareself-consciousandstudied.DisregardthisunfortunatetouchoftheTarkovskys,however,andyoumayjustsuccumbtothemesmerisingmood,inwhichcasethereareepiphanieshere-gulls,waves,crabsandflamingos-tosavour. Anextremeborderlandmovie.Onlyscenery,soundsandlessthanhundredsofwordsspoken.ThisisthewayinwhichBartasshowsusthedesperationofthethreeprotagonistsandheleavesittothepublictoponderoverthemeaningoftheirlives.Thefixedcameradoesnotfollowtheactors.Thedirectorletsnaturespeakforthem.ItisnotaneasymovieasBartasoptstopersonalisetheperceptionoftheuniversewithhisatypicalmethodofnarrativedirection,butintheendhemanagessomehowtocapturefigmentsoftheinvisible.…