I enjoyed the cinematography somewhat, but it was usually rather excessive, the director seemingly attempting a poor imitation of Tarkovsky. But I can forgive that more easily than the story itself, which seemed to me to be little more than the sympathetic account of a depressed man who engages in adultery and a rape attempt. (And admits openly to raping a woman in the past.)

"In terms of creating a strong cinematic world, Tarr has few equals." - Jeremiah Kipp

I'm not sure what to make of this. Deeply flawed and yet beautifully made. I was frustrated and captivated and I'm not quite sure how to reconcile these feelings. The aural nightmare brings to mind Eraserhead with its industrial wheeze and hum, though Damnation tops Lynch's effort whilst also throwing in fearsome rain for good measure. Features one of the most brilliantly depressing and subdued sex scenes ever.

Exceptional photography which shouldn't be missed by any cineaste, and an extremely slow but calm and powerful cinematography that reminded me very much of Stalker. (Not like a copy, but like a near-equal.) The film, the acting and the characters felt very sad and very real. However, the film doesn't have as much narrative and philosophical material as Stalker as to be able to go beyond the sadness and despair of the characters which it so powerfully portrays.

Intense visual expierience through long meditative panoramic shots.

Tarr's style and themes first come together here, and it's impressive, if a bit shaky on its feet at times. A depressing tale of irredeemable people being crushed, and Tarr makes us really feel every moment of it.

Fun Fact: Before being developed, Bela Tarr actually drowned all the used film stock in a bath filled with misery and hopelessness to achieve the unique "life is not worth living" look of the movie.

Man, I could bathe in the atmosphere of this movie. I don't really know if that makes sense, but Tarr's style really gelled with me.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Exceptional photography, wonderful music, fantastic ending scene. I think, however, that it is slightly too long.

The dialogue, I gotta say, flat out sucks - it's wandering trite bullshit. It feels twice as long as Werckmeister because of those long useless dialogue patches. When it shuts up, though, it's hypnotic. And oh my god that camerawork! It's unforgettably beautiful.

What an impressive movie. The camera work is some of the most fascinating I've ever seen. Delicate, patient and deliberate. At the beginning of every shot I tried to predict which direction the camera would pan and what person or object would come into frame. I was usually wrong. Tarr exhibits so much visual and audible texture which, combined with the methodical camera, creates a hypnotically enjoyable experience.

A grieving meditation on love in the shape of a noir poem done by Tarkovsky. Or something. Clever and personal, but disappointingly unaffecting. The scene in where our laden protagonist bark back at the dog was awesome, though, and the image of the old woman in the rain with the umbrella charming and tasty as hell!

To me it feels like this movie is just going through the motions of being a languid, difficult "art film", and that it employs those characteristics as an end unto themselves. I really don't see the need for every damn shot to go on for minutes upon minutes. One thing I really liked, however, was the music, and thankfully there was a lot of it. That song the woman sang in the bar early on was particularly captivating. It seemed to go on for ages, but I didn't mind that at all.

There's nobody quite like Bela Tarr. There's an overlying dread to Damnation, beating down the beauty underneath, but even for all its gloom, it still feels utterly poetic. The cinematography and camerawork are gorgeous, and the music is even better. A really exquisite film.

Soul-crushing.

Such a lonely and desperate film. Tarr's characters seem stuck in their empty, quiet, stasis-like existences, situated in the most quiet of hells. The setting is almost oppressive in its bleakness and lifelessness, and the slow, lingering camerawork forces one to soak in every second of this pitiful world. Overall, it's an unforgettable, but painful watch.

Another Tarr masterpiece that appears to get better after re-watching it, just not to the same degree as Werckmeister or even Satantango (which I admit to only seeing once, that shit is LONG). The only issue I have with this is that it makes me feel kind of dead inside :(

I fell in love with Tarr's cinematography style!

Atmospheric. The desolate, condemned wasteland seems to reflect the mental state of the main character. People talk, but actual communication is spare. However, Tarr's penchant for languid pacing began to wear on my nerves. Whereas it didn't bother me in Werckmeister Harmonies, here it comes off as somewhat unnecessary.

Has something of a Lynchian feel to it: industrial landscapes, ambient noise, dirty bars and haggard people. The story is as threadbare as it gets, but the real attraction is the camera. The lighting and photography is utterly exquisite. The camera performs a series of extremely slow, extremely long lateral moves, concealing things and revealing others. A rewarding experience.