Event

The Sun

(Alexander Sokurov, 2005, Russia, Italy, France, Switzerland, Japan, 35mm, 110 min)

Russian filmmaker Alexander Sokurov is unquestionably one of todays most accomplished directors. He is largely known for such ethereal works as Mother and Son (1997) and the one-take spellbinder Russian Ark (2002), films in which narrative and characterization are secondary to his unique, hauntingly dream-like stylistic approach. The Sun, the third of Sokurovs explorations of powerful historical leaders (1999s Moloch centered on Hitler, and 2001s Taurus on Lenin), shares the same measured pacing, but its among his most engaging and compelling films to date, particularly suited for newcomers to Sokurovs style. The Sun offers a hypnotic and tragic account of the fall of Japans Emperor Hirohito following the end of World War II, wherein the Emperor renounced his status as divine ruler during the American occupation of his Japan in 1945. Sokurovs film depicts the unlikely personal connection that between Hirohito (Issey Ogata) and American General Douglas MacArthur (Robert Dawson), as the two powerful figures met repeatedly to determine how a post-war Japan could ease itself into renewed independenceand how the Emperor, previously a sheltered figurehead with little connection to his own populace, could face an uncertain future. The Sun, like all Sokurov films, is a challenging film experience. But it is also a masterpiece that reaffirms the acclaim this filmmaker has received from artists as varied as Susan Sontag and Martin Scorsese.