Nikolai, a mortician, and Osip, an actor playing Christ in a play, are brothers in love with the same woman. Anna, a state scientist and said woman, is in love with both brothers and studies the Earth's core, the very heart of the world.
I loved every frame of this film from start to finish, and loved the way writer-director Guy Maddin smoothly blended a Soviet film theme with makeup and designs reminiscent of German expressionism (particularly "Metropolis"). Using the word "kino" was a nice touch to mix the two, as kino is the word for cinema in both Russia and Germany...
The hectic pace draws you in, and while the running time is short, it is enough for you to understand the world Maddin is working in and to know who Anna is. Perhaps I did not completely grasp the symbolism of the Christ figure or the phallic parts, but this in no way lessened my enjoyment.
I loved every frame of this film from start to finish, and loved the way writer-director Guy Maddin smoothly blended a Soviet film theme with makeup and designs reminiscent of German expressionism (particularly "Metropolis"). Using the word "kino" was a nice touch to mix the two, as kino is the word for cinema in both Russia and Germany...
The hectic pace draws you in, and while the running time is short, it is enough for you to understand the world Maddin is working in and to know who Anna is. Perhaps I did not completely grasp the symbolism of the Christ figure or the phallic parts, but this in no way lessened my enjoyment.