Corridor

I saw this Lithuanian movie on the Stockholm Film Festival a few years ago. It's a real work of art, but is definitely not for casual viewing. If you want action, look elsewhere.

Koridorius is a very slow-paced, documentary styled movie about the tenants of a run-down apartment building somewhere in Lithuania. There's no plot or dialog, not in the usual sense anyway. Instead the focus is on the faces and simple actions of these people. And the camera takes its good time to show this, which really works since the photography of the movie is just beautiful. Some of the shots are a 10 minute long close-up of the same face, putting the viewer in an almost meditative state.

If you like to see a movie totally different from the mainstream, this is it.

i just rediscovered this rare jewel on one of my VHS tapes and it was beautiful seeing it. the images are shot beautifully and all of the actors display strong characters. faces you've never seen and never will see in a mainstream hollywood or european production, they are just a bit too extreme. they mirror the harsh reality in the post-communist baltic state. no plastic people and barbie dolls here. there are no dialogues - at least none that matter to the story - and you clearly don't need any. an image says truely more than 1000 words!

it offers a lot to discover still, and i'll have to see it again a few times before i'll make up my mind on the storyline. i'll even expect it to change every time viewing it. definitely recommendable, if you have the will to enjoy one and a half hours of meditative pictures and sounds. but beware: you'll want to see it again and again. or you'll simply switch off after 10 minutes, but then you're not the right audience for this kind of movie. i'll give 9 out of 10. possibly it'll rise to 10 after my next viewing.