Francofonia

Despite forming a diptych with the masterly Russian Ark (2002), Aleksandr Sokurov's fascinating dissertation on art, power and the spoils of war often recalls such early Peter Greenaway outings as Vertical Features Remake (1978). The avant-garde approach may alienate some, as Sokurov's contemplative voiceover vies for attention along with a reconstruction of the negotiations between Louvre director Jacques Jaujard (Louis-Do de Lencquesaing) and Wehrmacht officer Franziskus Wolff-Metternich (Benjamin Utzerath) to protect the museum's treasures from avaricious Nazis; scenes of Napoleon Bonaparte giving French national symbol Marianne a self-aggrandising tour of the masterpieces he plundered; and footage of a Dutch sea captain steering a cargo of artworks in need of restoration through stormy waters. But more boils below the surface of cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel's sumptuous imagery, as Sokurov ponders the refugee crisis, the Daesh attitude to ancient artefacts and Vladimir Putin's insidious foreign policy. Befitting its subtitle, "An Elegy for Europe", this is a mournful, troubling and deeply personal reflection on humanity's failure to learn from the lessons of history. It demands to be seen.