This is the most lively, artful and penetrating film I have ever seen.
This film cut deeply into my soul and heart - I can't remember when I was so genuinely smiling and crying over the film. This is one of those rare cases in film and literature where you don’t just watch the action, but live every moment with the characters.
It’s an epic movie, perhaps the best I’ve seen in my entire life.
If you try to abstract from a strong emotional impression, the film is shot brilliantly: camera plans, acting, dialogue are simply phenomenal, the plot and script deserve the highest praise, the soundtrack is ideal and emphasizes the atmosphere of each scene, bravo!
P.S. Thank goodness there is a director’s version (2 hours 53 minutes), and that’s what I saw, because it’s not clear what could be cut in such a film. It’s probably a movie I wouldn’t have appreciated at 16, but now, at 26, having watched so many movies, it’s right in my heart.
