Growing up fast.

I'm still trying to understand why this is so highly rated. Even the cinematography didn't blow me away or anything.

A haunting debut feature. It gives you room to think about the metaphorical implications, while also serving just fine as a surface narrative. A bit "been there, seen that" at first, but as the story develops it comes into its own. It greatly resembles Tarkovsky, with a slow-paced tempo and long, lingering close-ups. The color palette is drained, painting a world of drab blue-grays that matches the bleakness of the story. The two boys were both passable for child actors.

Style over substance, none of the situations seemed real. It relies heavily on symbolism, which compensates for the lack of a commendable script. Intriguing, maybe, but also emotionally unengaging. It really feels like a film debut, one I wasn't too crazy about. Zvyagintsev has fun with a camera (I mean sure, the photography is breathtaking), but he doesn't seek to resolve much. I then watched the making of, an interesting look into the emotional journey they went through. Need a rewatch...

Intriguing for sure, the haunting images and the mysterious actions of the characters inspire curiosity for what is in essence a pretty mundane story. The effect doesn't really last beyond the film, though.

Very engaging, effective story, excellent acting.

Good, but why would they even show the box getting dug up if they're not gonna tell you what's in it.