This film took the top honor at the 1969 Berlin Film Festival. After a series of documentaries, this marks the directorial debut for Zelimir Zilnik. It takes a decidedly anti-Stalinist view in the wake of the 1968 Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia and raises important political questions. He states that although the world has experienced untold wars, there have only been a handful of revolutions with any lasting significance that lead to political change.
Ukrainia - October 1941 - A small group of scattered German soldiers occupies a beautiful little settlement of Russia-Germans. There are only about a dozen women, a few children and old people left in the village, who welcome the Nazi soldiers happily as liberators, hopefully getting rescued from the impending Russian deportation.Even the young Nazi soldiers appear to be ordinary human beings with a civilian past, joking and fooling around. Both groups peacefully get closer and become nearly friends.But then there happens an assault a young woman gets killed by the Nazi officer, and in return the officer gets killed in self-defense by another settler. Now the situation changes, the villagers and the former seemingly friendly German soldiers start to torture and execute each other. Like in a counting-out rhyme, one by one of both sides drops down dead.Soldiers and civilians become cruel and brutal killers, committing crimes they surely won't tell their grandchildren...
故事发生在一座位于波罗的海边上的小镇之中,时值盛夏,小镇上的一切都被包裹在蒸腾的热浪之中,几欲蒸发。在这里,十八岁的高中男生克里斯蒂安(约纳斯·奈伊 Jonas Nay 饰)遇见了新来的英语老师斯黛拉(茱莉亚·克斯奇兹 Julia Koschitz 饰),尽管年龄和身份都有着巨大的差异,但两颗孤独的心还是随着时间的流逝一点一点的靠近着。 在这样一座小镇上,任何的感情都逃不过众人的眼睛,但克里斯蒂安和斯黛拉坚信,他们的爱情可以打败一切流言蜚语,就在两人对他们的未来进行着巨细无遗的畅享时,一场突如其来的船难将看似美好的一切全部变为了泡影。
圣诞节就要来临了,只身一人在加州念书的杰克(乔纳森·泰勒·托马斯 Jonathan Taylor Thomas 饰)打算利用自己的圣诞假期来一场旅行,然而,杰克的父亲希望儿子能够回到家里和家人们团聚,最终,在父亲的威逼利诱之下,杰克取消了旅行,并且还打算带上新结交的女友一同回家。 哪知道就在动身前夕,杰克的同学对他进行了恶作剧,杰克穿上了内里涂有强力胶水的圣诞老人装,再也无法脱下来了。不仅如此,他还被丢在了荒无人烟的野外,口袋里一个子也没有。眼看着和父亲约定的时间就要来临,如果不能按时回家,那么父亲许诺的奖品就无法兑现。
影片改编自比利时艺术史学家Michael Francis Gibson的小说,是一部以文艺复兴时代为背景的惊悚片,围绕尼德兰著名画家博鲁盖尔的名作《受难之路》而展开。《磨坊与十字架》是一堂伪装成电影的的艺术史课,它的最初公开亮相,不是在电影院也不是在电影节,而是在卢浮宫 、纽约大都会艺术馆这样的场所。影片将人们带回十六世纪的荷兰,博鲁盖尔在创作《受难之路》时借助一个圣经故事来影射当时西班牙统治者的残忍以及尼德兰人民的反抗。莱彻·玛祖斯基将艺术史研究同电影CGI、3D技术结合起来,试图还原画家在创作这幅作品时所处的社会环境以及当时的思想、心境。站在一部艺术品之前的心神激荡,不正是让我们所有人晕眩地以为是所谓创作冲动么?值得一提的是,勃鲁盖尔的另一名作《雪中猎人》刺激瑞典导演罗伊·安德森创作下一部作品,名字很长的《树梢上沉思存在的鸟儿》,这部作品有望在明年戛纳或者威尼斯电影节亮相。