Dersu Uzala

Akira Kurosawa, 1975

Again I sit in pure amazement watching Kurosawa's work. He can take any (film-wise) traditionally uninteresting character, like Dersu in this film or the grey government official in "Ikiru" and use his magic to make them interesting and beautiful with all the respect for life and goodness. The film had several moments in which some part of the plot is merely hinted at by the reactions of the characters, but left unsaid by the film because there's no need to mention them. Every scene is very beautiful, showing the Siberian nature in its purest. The main character Dersu is wonderfully played.. very emotionally intense yet totally out-of-this-world. It is an inspiring yet sad tale, based on a true story, of a man who has chosen a nomadic hunter life in the Siberian wilds and has completely spiritually integrated with nature living off it with profound humility. And it is a tale of the wordless yet deep friendship between him and the other protagonist, a Russian scout captain. It is an unbelievably beautiful film with a unique subject in film shot in a unique environmental setup.