#and i’d have to bullshit an entire essay based off of a wikipedia synopsis and a couple of screenshots from google images

[splorpo]

Thoughts on Goncharov?

Yes, there are nuanced themes regarding the unacknowledged yet ever-present American influence in an Italy previously ravaged by war, and we could dissect how carefully those are threaded into the narrative all day, but I really want to turn everyone’s attention to the actual craft of the film. While the pacing is not perfect, the filmmaking itself is phenomenal.

Everyone likes to bring up the scene at the clocktower. Clock symbolism. Time symbolism. Numbers ticking down. A truly fantastic sequence, yet I don’t think I’ve seen any actual discussion of how deeply integral the circle is to the visual language of the film. Everything about the frame is circular—honing in on Goncharov like a predator stalking its prey. There is a subtle tightening of the frame up until we hit that famous tower sequence and it explodes into a relentless torrent of shots wider than any we have seen before. And this scene too is cyclical in nature; though Goncharov and Andrey pursue each other across its winding steps and terraces, this is not where their confrontation takes place, as each seems to outpace the other around every new turn, as they have for years. It becomes unclear who is pursing who.

And this is for a very specific purpose, as it is where the narrative folds in on itself and the seed of doubt is planted. Maybe Katya left him for a reason. Maybe Andrey has, all this time, been consumed with righteous rage. Maybe Goncharov is as unreliable a narrator as the camera.

When the two finally meet again it is in Goncharov’s office. Andrey sneaks in through the window and we finally get that scene we’ve been waiting on the edge of our seats for. But it is quiet, and solemn. Sort of sad. And beautiful in the ways that it deepens those shades of gray—refusing any clear-cut answers as to who exactly its protagonist really is, the scene itself mirroring the exact staging of the very first shot of the film, where Goncharov sits at his desk, smoking alone. From that first frame, the clock on the wall looms over him, silently whispering that his days are numbered. After all, a clock only stops when it dies.

This is maybe one of the most fascinating and wonderfully constructed films about a character living on borrowed time—a concept that is fully embodied in every aspect of its filmmaking. Really grateful that people dug this one up and inspired me to rewatch it! It is a masterclass in visual storytelling, which in itself is intriguing, as a lesser film would certainly have gotten bogged down in the talky-ness and intrigue of its premise.