Oriental Elegy backdrop

Oriental Elegy 1996 Directed by Aleksandr Sokurov Восточная элегия

A surreal journey of a displaced spirit as he wanders in the interminable darkness through the temporal landscape of a quaint and isolated feudal-era fishing village. Guided by a series of faintly illuminated rooms, the wandering spirit comes upon ancient souls who take on physical forms as they recount their personal stories of daily existence, loss, and tragedy in the peasant community. Intrigued by his initial visit to a curiously distracted elderly woman, the spirit returns to her home in order to ask a fundamental question - "What is happiness?" - an existential query that is innocently answered with innate humility and accepted unknowingness.

Country Russia
Production Countries Japan , Russia
Language Russian
Spoken Languages Japanese , Russian
Gnere Documentary
Production Companies NHK , Lenfilm , Severny Fond
Release Date 26 April 1996
45 mins
Cast
Aleksandr Sokurov Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Crew
Director
Writer
Cinematography
Production Design