Event

The Sacrifice

1986, Dir. Andrei Tarkovsky
With Erland Josephson, Susan Fleetwood and Allan Edwall
142 min, 35 mm

Andrei Tarkovsky's last film, The Sacrifice, centers on a middle-aged intellectual who travels to a remote farmhouse for a friendly dinner among friends. Once there, he learns of an impending nuclear assault that will launch World War III and spell doom for all of humanity. Over the course of the evening, the intellectual bargains with God to stop the impending catastrophe as he attempts to come to terms with the evils of humankind. Shot in Sweden, The Sacrifice brought together a deep examination of the role of religion and hope with some of the most striking images ever captured on screen. Premiering at the Cannes Film festival, the film would win Tarkvosky his second Grand Prix prize as well as his third International Federation of Film Critics Prize. The final work of this master of cinema, The Sacrifice showcases the poetic and unique voice of Tarkovsky, whose contribution to cinema continues to reverberate nearly thirty years later.