Konstantin Lopushansky worked with Tarkovsky, and it shows, in plot, setting and characterisation. Unfortunately- in this film at least- he deals with similar themes, but is no where hear as good as Tarkovsky. Sometime in the near future a catastrophe-not just ecological- the plot rests on low tide lasting seven days- means that 40% of children are born with genetic deformities. They are called "degenerates" and are played by genuinely disabled people. They are put in "reservations". There is also a mysterious museum, possibly containing lost knowledge, accessible only at low tide, which the central character wants to visit. First the good points: there are some beautiful shots, though Lopushansky seems to enjoy them for too long, and the power of the newly-risen sea is well-conveyed. However, the film's defects outweigh its virtues. Firat of all, we are told too much- in Stalker, we know hardly anything of the world outside the Zone, here we know so much that we need to know more because of it- we learn about fashion: high heels are worn by men, for example- but we don't even know how the population feeds itself and the "degenerates". We know the museum is significant, but we don't know why- indeed, in the end, the museum is a Maguffin, a simple plot device. Most of all, though, the characters just aren't convincing and their personalities change according to the plot's requirements. In the end, the central character is just another Holy Fool, driven mad by mysterious forces and we just don't care.
Review of Visitor of a Museum
