The Asthenic Syndrome

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s r 1001 movies to see before you die. Other than being made in communist Russia and it showing some cultural aspects, this movie was tedious and I did not see its merit. It was on youtube. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review William L Featuring possibly the longest 'film within a film' segment in recent memory, The Asthenic Syndrome is a prolonged experimental take on social and moral decline in the waning days of the Soviet Union, produced at a time when the writing was on the wall but rebellious director Kira Muratova still found herself at the mercy of the state censors. It's an original and challenging work (for which it certainly deserves credit) but it also leans much more heavily toward the status of an academic film than a classic of world cinema. The film is one that you will either love or hate, and that has much to do with the particular strategy used to tackle a series of characters that are at their wit's end thanks to disconnection with the world around them - many of these individuals choose essentially pointless wandering or outbursts, severing their ties to the mundane. You can choose to interpret that as satirical or depressingly realistic, but for the most part the stories lack plot cohesion and you're left to wonder if a series of nonsensical ramblings are designed to service a sincere theme, or are just nonsensical ramblings full stop. Muratova's work has been cited in genre circles as a major turning point from Soviet to modern Russian cinema, but barring a particular love for that specialty (or a desire to snag a 100% completion rate on the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die), I can't say that The Asthenic Syndrome is a particularly enticing watch, particularly given the length and slow pace. Two hours' worth an awful lot of setup for an extended scene of dogs in filthy kennels, a wordless, piano-heavy segment that seems more reminiscent of a Sarah McLachlan SPCA commercial than anything else. (2.5/5) Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/11/21 Full Review Audience Member One of the top 2 Muratova films I have seen. I could not believe a film could drag me into a story and push me out of another one. If you have not seen a Muratova film start with this one, however some TV versions cut a bit out and subtitles versions are hard to find. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Horrendous self indulgent junk to the man in the street, film students would probably find all kinds of sub textual shadings. There welcome to them, I left after an agonizing 2 hours. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Y U NO SAVE MY WRITTEN REVIEWS? Not that I had anything important to say. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member As Rosenbaum raves about this film, I checked it out. It is berserk. From 1989, it comments directly on soviet problems while also telling two stories. The first, in sepia tones, tells of a women doctor whose husband dies leading her to start punching people and acting uncontrollably. The second, in color, tells of a high school teacher who falls asleep everywhere. Aside from occasional political commentary, there are also beautiful moments of photographs, patterns, people wearing red, sad dogs, full frontal nudity (both sexes), a very funny rendition of Strangers in the Night, caviar eating, and more. OK, the second half doesn't always make sense...but, hey, it's berserk, so worth watching! Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Asthenic Syndrome

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