The first non-narrative film captured in a single shot, it chronicles every stage of Russian history, including the reigns of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great.

| Mar 27, 2021

The general tone of the piece is cynical, morbid and unpleasantly other-worldly.

| Feb 16, 2021

Luxuriously gentile and hauntingly lucid in its blending and reconstruction of the history held securely within the Hermitage Museum, the film is at its core a lavishly privileged tour of the magnificent palace.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Nov 12, 2020

Russian Ark is enveloping as a kind of cultural-identity summation combining elements of museum tour and live spectacle.

| Oct 14, 2020

Perhaps no amount of skillful reasoning could have swayed our gatekeepers from their ignorance. But as Kiarostami himself suggested in his dignified statement to the press, the embarrassment is also his, and by extension our own.

| Mar 16, 2020

Meet the ghost of the past, the ghost of the present. How become what we are and why art is our living history. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 5/5 | Dec 12, 2018

A highly recommended documentary. [Full review in Spanish]

| Jun 29, 2016

Russian Ark is an astounding technical feat that must be seen to be believed.

| Apr 22, 2016

Despite an undeniable attraction to the majestic, Aleksandr Sokurov seems equally adverse to straightforward spectacle, approaching potentially colossal subjects from odd, specific angles.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Apr 12, 2014

It's worth noting that the footage was manipulated ... in post-production, but this unbroken take still functions as a documentary record of an exceptional logistical feat.

| Original Score: 9/10 | Dec 19, 2013

Part pageant and museum tour, part theme-park ride and historical meditation.

| Oct 24, 2013

This is as immersive-and as Shining-level spooky-as history gets.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Sep 3, 2013

The movie's smooth voyage comes to seem like a dream play, suspended painlessly in time.

| Sep 3, 2013

[Characterizes] history as a large rush of information so huge, alive, and easy to get lost in that it would feel a shame if there existed nothing to give us a conduit to it.

| Original Score: 10/10 | Mar 31, 2009

A film geek's dream movie. 90 minutes, one take.

| Original Score: A+ | Jun 21, 2007

| Original Score: 5/5 | Dec 30, 2006

What is shown is ultimately less captivating than the manner in which it is shown.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Feb 8, 2005

Its technical bravura is impossible to deny. Even those whose knowledge of Russian history stems mainly from Sympathy For The Devil lyrics will find much to savor here.

| Jan 21, 2005

It's a rich, complex, and mystery-filled journey through Russian art and history.

Full Review | Original Score: B+ | Jan 15, 2005

| Original Score: B- | Aug 7, 2004