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      The Temptation of St. Tony

      2009 1h 50m Drama Fantasy Mystery & Thriller List
      90% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 77% Audience Score 250+ Ratings A mid-level manager loses his grip on a quiet life when he questions mortality. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

      View All (10) Critics Reviews
      Walter V. Addiego San Francisco Chronicle Full of extreme imagery and offering many darkly satirical touches, this Estonian picture brings to mind the work of Luis Buuel, David Lynch and Ingmar Bergman. Rated: 3/4 Dec 2, 2010 Full Review Kevin Thomas Los Angeles Times The Temptation of St. Tony becomes a harrowing, often darkly comic nightmare, studded with allusions to art, literature and film. Rated: 4/5 Sep 30, 2010 Full Review Diego Semerene Slant Magazine There's no better cinematic praise than to be evocative of Bla Tarr's tour de force Werckmeister Harmonies. Rated: 3.5/4 Sep 26, 2010 Full Review Mattie Lucas From the Front Row A staggering and enthralling work that finds profundity in absurdity, suggesting that man's questioning of the cosmic scheme is ultimately folly. Rated: 3/4 Aug 5, 2019 Full Review Beth Accomando KPBS.org The Temptation of St. Tony is a slow moving but wry and surreal work that pays off if you let it work its spell on you. Jan 21, 2011 Full Review Nicolas Rapold L.A. Weekly unpuu's orchestrations and barbed surprises, which greatly depend on cinematographer Mart Taniel (and various Estonian theater vets), hold continued promise. Sep 30, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

      View All (13) audience reviews
      Audience Member Paying fair homage to the disturbing mind of Lynch, the symbolisms of Pasolini, the aesthetic beauty of Bergman's image compositions and the cannibalism of Greenaway, <i>Püha Tõnu kiusamine</i> lurks in the dark as an obscure gem of extraordinary cinematic relevance for the present millennium. Cinema connoisseurs around the world deeply thank Veiko Õunpuu for this mindblowing and unique gradual, downwards spiral to insanity that destroys the fine line between dreams and hallucinations with such impeccable artistry. 100/100 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member I really don't have much to say about the film, except that it is uniformly frightening and exactly the sort of film I would want to make. The modern but timeless landscapes haunt in that they could be the future or the past in the span of a frame and the camera never forces us to decide what era it takes place. Each beautifully framed shot is a question, a search for hope, and not for a moment does it let it's audience rest in complacency. The audio is complex and challenging as well. I only wish my current set up could handle the bass better, as it shook things but the clarity was not there. Further inspiration to upgrade my audio! Well worth watching. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Film dans l'univers nord europà (C)en, traitant de la dà (C)chà (C)ance d'un homme confrontà (C) à une suite dâ(TM)à (C)vènement qui le poussera à un destin inconcevable pour son milieu social d'origine.Un changement de cap complet d'un homme en pleine apothà (C)ose professionnel, altà (C)ration d'un être en 5 actes confrontà (C) à lui-même et à une puissance secrète qui mène le dà (C)roulement. Allà (C)gorie sur la recherche entre le bien et le mal. Excellente production où le jeu des acteurs nous fait voyager dans un univers surrà (C)aliste mais avec une touche d'ironie face à des situations rà (C)elles. Lâ(TM)esthà (C)tique de la photographie est recherchà (C) tout au long du film avec un noir et blanc qui ajoute une profondeur au paysages et aux à (C)motions. Scènes finale à (C)piques à ne pas manquer!Bonne rà (C)flexion pour un samedi soir campagnard. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member So confuse, I still wonder what was all the movie about. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This felt exactly like a David Lynch film, except that I didn't think it was horseshit. I actually, genuinely really enjoyed it, in spite of how blatantly pretentious a piece of work it was. There was a vague bit of story, which is perhaps what made me like it. Also, the actual 'art' as it were, was fascinating to watch. I don't get anything from Lynch's work, but I could read so many potential meanings into pretty much every scene of this film, from Tony discovering a series of severed hands in the woods to a running thing with dogs appearing. It worked as a piece of art for me -the same way I might walk around an art gallery and think "that's interesting, I wonder what it means". Except, I'm usually not a fan of art in art galleries either because it tends to be such bullshit. Something about this film elevated itself from all of that. Perhaps it was the gorgeous cinematography. Perhaps not. I don't really know. All I do know is that for the first time watching an arthouse film that requires multiple viewings to even begin to properly understand it, I actually want to revisit it. Personal enjoyment: 7/10 Actual quality as a film: 8/10 Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member With its black and white photography, laconic (subtitled) dialogue, slow pace and surreal plot, this comes across almost as a parody of a generic Eastern European art movie. However, it’s not without humour, the performances and camerawork are excellent, with many striking scenes and images. If you see only one Estonian-Swedish-Finnish co-production this year… well, that’s what the London Film Festival is for. If you like Bunuel or late Lynch this is well worth a go. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Temptation of St. Tony

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis A mid-level manager loses his grip on a quiet life when he questions mortality.
      Director
      Veiko Õunpuu
      Screenwriter
      Veiko Õunpuu
      Production Co
      MEDIA Programme of the European Union, Film i Väst, Homeless Bob Production, Fonds Eurimages du Conseil de l'Europe, Atmo Media Network, Svenska Filminstitutet
      Genre
      Drama, Fantasy, Mystery & Thriller
      Original Language
      Estonian
      Release Date (DVD)
      Oct 1, 2015
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $1.7K
      Runtime
      1h 50m