7.1 OUT OF TEN ????????????

this peice looks *beep* fantastic, thats why.

This is by far the most bizarre film I've ever seen. The production and cinematography is top notch, and would easily be a great film if the topic or the film is about something else other than sexual flogging? There are some scenes in the film that is drop-dead gorgeous but the plot is stupid, silly, and typically Russian.

I agree it is frustrating that everything is unclear (and btw i'm glad other people think so too!) but my question would be why ONLY 7.1??

Balabanov is clearly a genius auteur. It's all about the mood. The lighting and the colours are superb. I just watched this so I'm still reeling from it all. The plot is bizarre and whilst not really pornographic, the film really is sexually disturbing ... i'm not sure why, perhaps it's the honesty/naturalness. Some of the symbolism was a bit too easy eg the trains leaving the station, but oh, the first scene with the steamboat in the canals of St.Petersburg was so, so good!

To come back to your question, Balabanov is not making it easy for us, and perhaps that's why you are confused. I'm confused too - during the film i had to skip back a couple of times to understand what was going on, i think i still need time to process the plot fully - but that's a great thing for a film to stick in your head like that.

I have also watched Cargo 200 and that one stayed with me for days. I think this one will too.