ALEXANDRE: Why, mother, does nothing happen as we wish? Why? Why does one have to rot in silence torn between pain and desire? Why did I live my life in exile? Tell me mother, why can't one learn to love?
Hello everyone! I'm back this week (at a regular time, finally) with a Theo Angelopoulos film, Eternity and a Day. Films of Angelopoulos have been on my list for a long time as he's known to be one of the greatest auteurs of cinema. To my delight, Eternity and a Day never disappointed me, and it pulled me into the story so much that some scenes replayed in my mind long after I finished the movie. Before I start, I'd like to thank you for being here and I hope you enjoy reading the post!
Eternity and a Day is part three of the series "The Trilogy of Borders". Each film in the series tells about a certain voyage the main character goes through. In Eternity and a Day, we see our protagonist Alexandre taking a journey filled with his past regrets, memories, and lost dreams. Along this journey, he bonds with an Albanian immigrant who allows us to see the harsh realities of immigration and war.
The film simultaneously touches on a lot of topics, yet even a theme like death is handled in such a gentle and poetic way. To capture this effect, Angelopoulos used a variety of long and hauntingly beautiful shots and constructed a delicately written script. Let's talk more about the established themes of the movie and which character it corresponds to.
Let's start with Anna, the neglected wife of Alexandre whom we see only in his flashback scenes. Through her old letters, we see her longing for Alexandre due to his commitment to his career. Because of his indifference in the past, Alexandre carries a lot of guilt over not spending enough time with his wife and making her go through this much agony.
Throughout the film he often takes us to his fondest memories with his wife, where the setting is so bright and the people are all cheerful and carefree - in contrast to the cold and lonely winter he's going through in the present. Going back and forth through Alexandre's memories helps us to understand our character's emotional state and sympathize with him. Anna and Alexandre's relationship reminds us not to neglect our loved ones as time passes too quickly. As Anna says in one of my favourite quotes: "... I wish I could keep that moment, pin it up like a butterfly to prevent it from flying."
Let's move forward with The Child, who is the immigrant our main character forms a beautiful bond with. In one review, Andrew Horton describes the bond between them as a grandfather-grandson one, which I found to be meaningful as well. Alexandre cares so much for The Child that he spends the majority of his last day with him. The life of The Child, however, differs so much from Alexandre's. Throughout the day, The Child gets saved from the horrible trafficking, witnesses the death of his friend Selim, and questions whether it's scary to be on the other side. Even though different, the unambiguity of his life as an immigrant makes it easier for him to connect with Alexandre who experiences another form of unclarity in his life.
Lastly, let's talk about Alexandre, our main perspective in the film. Through his past and present experiences, we witness a variety of emotions along with him - feeling detached from life being the most dominant one.
As I mentioned earlier in the post, the film is about a journey our protagonist makes; and Alexandre's journey can be described as filling the void he's been carrying all these years only to find it in letting go of his past and making peace with himself. The end of the film can be translated into various ways, and my thought is that Alexandre left the world without the crushing guilt he's been dwelling in since the beginning of the movie - that's why we see him returning to his childhood as a symbol of rebirth in the end.
Reaching the end of this post, I'm giving this movie its well deserved 10 out of 10! While watching the film, I especially chose a beautiful spot on the balcony where you could see the moon full and bright, and I must say it enhanced the experience even more! I hope to see this film in a movie theater to appreciate the camera work (and this gorgeous piece!) more.
I'd like to thank you for reading this far; and please don't forget to check out my Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr, all with the same nickname moviesatdawn. You can also comment your thoughts down below this post or send me an email to: moviesatdawn@gmail.com! Thanks again and I'll see you again in a special post next week!
ALEXANDRE: I once asked you how long will tomorrow last. And you answered me: Eternity and a day.
Next post: Petite Maman (2021) dir. Céline Sciamma
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