Püha Tõnu kiusamine

A film that follows the travails of a middle management guy through a black-and-white Estonia, leading from funerals to swamps to theatres, from dinner parties to ruined churches and a cannibal cabaret nightclub.

This is an unusual and original film... whilst it has echoes of film-makers such as Roy Andersson or Bela Tarr, it is also clear that Ounpuu has his own original voice to develop. In a few places the surrealism or absurdism seemed, to me, a bit forced or self-conscious,but in many places the film is truly unique, funny, disturbing, odd, dreamlike and poignant. An unhoned, rough talent maybe, but a big one.. I'll look forward to his next film...

Bizarre and beautiful, disturbing and droll, "The Temptation of St. Tony" wonders what it means to be a good man by questioning the very foundation of morality in a world dominated by nihilistic ideas.

"«The Temptation of St. Tony» is a harrowing, often darkly comic nightmare, studded with allusions to art, literature and film."

Veiko Oonpuu's bold, contemporary update of the stations-of-the-cross genre more than lives up to the promise of his 2007 debut, Autumn Ball. Nods to filmmakers Bergman, Fellini, Bunuel, and Tarkovski aside, with a wink at such cultural icons as Bosch, Flaubert, and Blake, his imprimatur is on every frame of this delicious black-and-white prestige product.

As universal as its theme is, The Temptation of St Tony is also grounded in a specifically Estonian geographic and political landscape. (The near-naked protagonist wraps himself in the Estonian flag at one point for protection against the cold.)

In spite of a firm directorial hand, Ounpuu is a collaborative artist. He fuses Taniel's stunning cinematography (many of the exteriors feel primeval), a haunting soundscape, and Krigul's diverse original score into a substantial vision of man's metaphysical dilemma, one that provides Eelmaa a conduit in which to play out his magic.

Second feature from the Estonian director of the highly acclaimed Sugisball charts the catastrophic breakdown of the life of a dull, provincial middle-manager. Comparison with Tarkovsky and others may be premature but this is no sophomore effort and is worth taking seriously as it's full of impressive, meticulous scenes, ranging from droll to oddball to deeply disturbing, with good use of ambient music and innovative camera-work (surprisingly, still possible).

The narrative, in five parts, is sparse and evidently a large dose of obscurantism was added during the editing. At first it looks like a bleak comedy, then it seems to morph into a religious allegory (there's a fine scene where a priest walks up the wall) before developing into a quite nasty Lynchian nightmare involving cannibalism.

One synopsis I read bears scant relation to what I saw - the diabolic choice given to Tony by the 'Meister' whether to rebel or conform (presumably a simple metaphor of life under the Soviets) was absent - which may be just as well, because the obscurity of the narrative provides much of the atmosphere.

New Õunpuu's film is a real jewel in contemporary cinema. It confirms his bright talent and distinctive sense for storytelling. "Temptation of St. Tony" is full of epic scenes which (one day) might get praised as some of the highest cinema peaks of our time. Leading you trough the dark corridors of mankind director awards the viewer after each corner with such visual brilliancy that you can't get irrelevant. Cinematic language of "Temptation of St. Tony" is closer to classics like Antonioni, Bunuel or Tarkovsky than to contemporary film making styles. After "Sügisbal" and "St. Tony" it's sure that we have a new, complete author on cinematic stage. Let's celebrate.

Another unique film by the Estonian director Veiko Õunpuu. Too bizarre in some places near the end, but still a very emotional and deep picture. Like in his last film 'Sügisball' ('Autumn Ball'), many scenes feel fresh and inventive. Which is a very rare thing these days.