The Sacrifice (1986)

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Alexander, a journalist and former actor and philosopher, tells his little son how worried he is about the lack of spirituality of modern mankind... (imdb)

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Directed By: Andrei Tarkovsky

Written By: Andrei Tarkovsky

Starring: Erland Josephson, Allan Edwall, Sven Wollter, Valérie Mairesse, Susan Fleetwood, Guðrún Gísladóttir

Genre: Drama

AKA: Offret

Country: France, Sweden, UK

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The Sacrifice belongs to 61 collections

1. boobs (collaborative: moderated by Pickpocket - 51 stars)

2. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2008 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 39 stars)

3. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2010 revision) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 32 stars)

4. Netflix Instant (collaborative: moderated by somnivore - 29 stars)

5. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2014 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Jehan - 27 stars)

6. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2012 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 25 stars)

7. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2017 revision) (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 22 stars)

8. Best of criticker: Drama (collaborative: moderated by avgcrtckr - 18 stars)

9. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2013 revision) (collaborative: moderated by rant1229 - 16 stars)

10. FIPRESCI Prize (collaborative: moderated by paulofilmo - 14 stars)

11. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2011 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 14 stars)

12. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2020 revision) (public: djross - 14 stars)

13. International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 11 stars)

14. Cannes Film Festival's Grand Prix (collaborative: moderated by hristos - 10 stars)

15. Top 100 Spiritually Significant Films (collaborative - 10 stars)

16. Sight and Sound 2002 (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 9 stars)

17. Purposefully Slow Films (collaborative: moderated by rant1229 - 8 stars)

18. David Thomson's 1000 Films (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 7 stars)

19. Directors' final films (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 6 stars)

20. Best by different standards (public: sesito71 - 6 stars)

21. The Vatican Film List (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 5 stars)

22. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2007 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 4 stars)

23. IMDb Top of The 1980's (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 4 stars)

24. Capsules, guest reviews, list candidates... (366weirdmovies) (collaborative: moderated by sesito71 - 4 stars)

25. Average Percentile >70 (collaborative: moderated by peyrin - 4 stars)

26. Stanley Kubrick's Favorite Films (collaborative: moderated by Ag0stoMesmer - 3 stars)

27. Sven Nykvist, Cinematographer (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA - 2 stars)

28. Cannes - Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (collaborative: moderated by Thegoodboy - 2 stars)

29. mwgerb's Netflix Instant Queue (public: mwgerb - 2 stars)

30. John Kobal Presents The Top 100 Movies (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA - 1 star)

31. my DVDs (collaborative: moderated by Jeb - 1 star)

32. J. Castedo's "The Top 100 Films of the 20th Century" (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA - 1 star)

33. Top 100 movies according to Greek filmmakers (collaborative: moderated by hristos - 1 star)

34. Sound Design (collaborative: moderated by paulofilmo - 1 star)

35. A Year of Essential Cinema (collaborative: moderated by Ibetolis1 - 1 star)

36. Swedish submissions for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar (collaborative: moderated by zae - 1 star)

37. film puanlamalarım (collaborative - 1 star)

38. Guldbaggen (collaborative: moderated by jagarnyfiken - 1 star)

39. KAH's movies of the year.. (public: KAH - 1 star)

40. Pickpocket inaccurate PSI (public: Pickpocket - 1 star)

41. Andrei Tarkovsky (public: kendell - 1 star)

42. toucé (public: rnest - 1 star)

43. The Greatest Movies of All Time - Filmweb's Alternative Top 500 (public: Hadleyreis - 1 star)

44. Cannes 1986 Official Selection (collaborative)

45. Versátil Home Video (collaborative: moderated by allegreller)

46. slav watchlist (collaborative: moderated by sally_storm)

47. Films to get (public: Scelsi)

48. Movies to See: Drama (public: Lord Moe)

49. Foreign - Swedish (public: NhanLa)

50. Movies I Own (public: Farzan)

51. Films that inspired Kentucky Route Zero (public: kevinjoseph)

52. Top 101 (public: losrasputin)

53. Rewatch & Random (public: ForrestQ)

54. Djross Swedish feature films I've seen (public: djross)

55. 5x10 Project 2 (public: kendell)

56. time was (public: rnest)

57. Cast aAwayAdam (public: rnest)

58. To See (public: Contreras)

59. C-1980 (public: cantahta)

60. vertgraisbrune (public: rnest)

61. Filmin (public: Hadleyreis)

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TCI | Percentile | Date Rated | # Stars (Reviews)

Stars	User	Rating
9	MartinTeller	48 _8th
When it's not tedious, it's either laughably overdramatic or just plain stupid. It starts out nicely for the first 15 minutes. After that it's rough sailing. There are moments of interesting insight and intriguing imagery (hail Sven Nykvist), unfortunately they tend to get buried by the overly theatrical stage direction, godawful acting (Susan Fleetwood, this means you), and dearth of subtlety.
6	KAH	4 _93rd
A culmination of everything Tarkovsky sought to explore in his earlier films. It's perhaps his most ambiguous work, dealing with faith in a higher power as usual, but placing it opposite nihilism, with references to Nietzsche. A slow paced and grief-stricken vision, and the conclusion makes one wonder what Tarkovsky really believed in at the end of his life. Opens up for personal interpretations and rewards multiple viewings this one.
6	jmarkthespot	25 _16th
Well, I really wanted to like this film. I really did. And although I did enjoy a lot of the cinematography and abstract moments, the constant monologues and symbolism for EVERYTHING become straight up annoying. It simply became hard for to care about the characters at all. Just because a film is "deep" does not make it a work of art. Seriously, read the 'Binding of Isaac' and save yourself some time.
4	Moribunny	50 _38th
Extremely long shots painstakingly staged and choreographed, meticulously calculated framing, timed, soft switches in lighting and color saturation... The Sacrifice, like Tarkovsky's other films, is a formalist's dream. Sadly, and also not unlike his others, it is a sluggish, stuck-up, overserious and boring Christian parable.
3	TedDedon	94 _92nd
Tarkovsky is possibly the most consistently amazing director I've had the good fortune of experiencing. The Sacrifice, though moving at a glacial pace, is more than rewarding with its depressing and subtle themes, excellent characters, and beautiful and haunting imagery. It's not an easy watch but it is superb nonetheless.
3	Rufam	50 _14th
"Offret" is pretty-looking, but you probably expected that. It's also self-absorbed, esoteric, alienating and almost mind-numbingly boring. When I was not struggling to make some sense out of the philosophical drooling, I was comatose due to sheer tedium. The premise is intriguing (it's the end of the world... I think), the visuals haunting and there is a nice Bergman feel to it. You may be able to appreciate all that, given that you manage to stay awake, which is highly questionable.
2	Pickpocket	0 _4th
The definition of tedious. I've never seen a film try so hard to be profound and meaningful before. It's pretty sad actually. The main character is borderline mentally retarded, his actions make no sense, his philosophizing is embarrassing and he constantly baffles you with his banal, trite bullshit. It doesn't overtly manipulate you like a Spielberg film but it tells you how you're supposed to think, which is much more insulting imo.
2	amerigo	77 _46th
It's a shame that Tarkovsky degenerated from the brilliant complexity of Stalker to this. Visually it's still as well done as one would expect from a director of his caliber, but the straightforward modern Christian parable of the script becomes too overpowering towards the end. That might be acceptable, but the problem is that Tarkovsky fails to make it convincing, human, and/or touching.
2	Cinema_Asia	85 _92nd
If there are any flaws in this film it's that Tarkovsky's characters tend to provide a little too much philosophical and religious exposition at times. In one scene Victor wryly comments about being tired of monologues which may have been Tarkovsky poking fun at himself. The interweaving of religion, philosophy, and fear of nuclear war is interesting too. The masterful use of dreamlike states shows that Tarkovsky never lost his touch right down to the last film.
2	CHR1S	60 _22nd
Demanding and quite dull.
2	bentien	86 _95th
No one makes images like Tarkovsky. The film is everything 'Melancholia' tries to be, but doesen't come close to achieving.
2	SpikyCactus	55 _13th
Top badass moment? A miserable old loser gets into the maid’s knickers, by telling her a sob story about ruining his mother’s garden. As a gardener myself, that’s a chat-up line I must try. The rest of the time he's like an annoying alcoholic in a pub, who randomly spouts boring and depressing philosophy to anyone who'll listen. Meanwhile, loud plane noises keep viewers awake, a dead tree is planted badly and a mosh pit develops on a zebra crossing. No cats, chainsaws or decapitations.
2	loc42	95 _96th
Apocaliptic setting with vague time and space in which Alexander lives the nightmare about the vanity and futility of his life. His wife and everyone around him seem him as traitors and become objects of fantasy (but nightmarish) and he finds relief in Mary's knee but for that he should transform himself as an actor to "a living object of art" and that's only possible if he can actually risk his life. Hence he sacrifices his "home" to deserve it: he possesses it only when he sacrifices it.
2	creaglu	98 _99th
A deliberate attempt by Tarkovsky to create something Bergmanesque, going as far as hiring Bergman's DP to shoot the film. High stakes existential despair, beautiful interactions patiently allowed to play out in wide frame and a beautiful setting contribute to a true masterpiece.
2	Hawkins	41 _8th
More like The Suckrifice
1	Farzan	96 _97th
The Sacrifice is a film worth watching, but it is there for Tarkovsky fans only. The film has constant breathtaking imagery, and some fantastic acting, namely Erland Josephson, and Allan Edwall. It is an extremely slow moving film, but that is okay because of the poetic nature and the absorbing characters that are present in this film. The Sacrifice is one of the most touching films I have had the experience of watching.
1	Suture Self	2 _13th
A very tedious and obvious Christian parable that didn't resonate with me for a variety of reasons, some philosophical, others as simple as "This is boring as hell." If you want to save yourself some time, read Matthew 19: 16-26 or Luke 12:33-34 instead. It's a shame that a man who can make a movie like The Mirror went out with this stick in the mud. Religious individuals concerned with moral autonomy and divine judgment might enjoy this.
1	Stain	40 _23rd
Like some weird fairy tale, and not in a good way
1	immolations	100 _97th
Highly philosophical film that feels like something by Bergman. Its ability to create beautiful images throughout of a single house is testament to Tarkovsky and the cinematographer. Although the pace is slow the images are fascinating and I found myself in awe of almost every shot. I wouldn't say it's as good as his other work but it's ability to create beauty on a small scale and it's compelling story mean that it's a great film.
1	Mentaculus	91 _90th
Never make an ultimatium with God. He may take you up on it.
1	KasperL	85 _93rd
Tarkovsky and Nykvist's images and Josephson's acting are masterful, and the great Russian director's final film might just be his very best. The first 45 minutes of it is a thoroughly brilliant tribute to Ingmar Bergman's films. And then it gets weird ... so it will take some more viewings to extrapolate on what exactly the symbolic parts might mean.
1	Obdurate	85 _80th
Slow, but he's known for that. But he's also known for the beauty of his films, and while I don't think it reaches the levels of his best in really any regard, this is still a great flick. The mixing of intelligent conversation and heavy themes is present, and of course there are moments of visual awe that pretty much nobody could ever match. But I couldn't invest as much in the characters as I would have liked, leading to some tedium, in part because the imagery wasn't always there to save it.
1	Judo Koala	73 _44th
Beautiful, morose, boring, cold, redundant, enlightening, maddening, Tarkovsky.
1	hotsake	50 _34th
I'm starting to come to the conclusion that Tarkovsky films are not my thing as I find his films to be completely over rating in every way. The imagery is amazing at times and the idea behind the story is pretty interesting but the character are dull and boring, the pace is way to slow and the dialogue is laughably bad. Also why did this have to be 2.5 hours long? there's only 30 minutes of actual story.
1	Greyscale	87 _29th
This is one case in which Tarkovsky's slow, meandering style seems to miss its mark to some extent. Despite being incredibly beautiful and poignant, it seems to lack purpose and substance. Unlike Stalker or Nostalghia, the filmmaker's meditative exploration doesn't seem to lead anywhere.
1	feublo	95 _97th
Towards the end of existence, a feverish dream becomes reality. The human spirit still lacks certainty, "what have I devoted to? Whom am I devoted to?" Here, it's a beautiful gesture burning it all down to rediscover his faith. Tarkovsky is letting his son know (and us) that in the end, we'll face these same questions of sacrifice and rediscover what our lives really mean to us.

Average Percentile 72.18% from 1307 Ratings