State Funeral

STATE FUNERAL - MUBI

Sergey Loznitsa's State Funeral is a breath-taking insight into the unknown, yet enigmatic nation of the U.S.S.R. through unprecedented film archive access following the days after supreme leader Joseph Stalin's death announcement in 1953.

There are a tremendous amount of layers presented in Sergey Loznitsa’s monumental documentary. The first — and most evident — is the genuinely astonishing on screen material. The footage available is far beyond impressive — which is arguably an understatement when all is said and done. The content is a truly stunning and unparalleled view of a communist nation under transition. The communal and societal world is one that the viewer will be dazzled in throughout the entire one-hundred-and-thirty-five minute running time. Fascinating at every turn, the sheer volume of life on display is one that both awes and frightens in the same breath.

The sheer stretch of Stalin's cult reaches far greater than the mind could ever imagine. From all corners of the eastern bloc, Stalin's death touches — and undeniably effects — an outrageous number of ethnicities and countries. Editor Danielius Kokanauskis effortlessly cuts in and out of rich and poor, isolation and population to highlight the gravitas of this monumental moment in history. State Funeral captures the influence and impact of such a dictatorship in an array of settings and landmarks with superbly intimate footage. The richness of colour, of celebration and sombre are infectious and iconic. Undoubtedly a purposeful and conscious decision from the regime, an action that State Funeral exhibits in all its glorious persuasiveness and hidden gloom.

The dedication and devotion to the figure of Stalin from the inaugural announcement of his death to the region-wide acknowledgement of his rest are thematically profound yet harrowing. Loznitsa's film showcases the truly astonishing juxtaposed emotions of a country in mourning, the moment in which dictatorship of rule has come to an end but the whaling of passion on the streets and in the most remote areas of reach perhaps tell a more significant story of what is to happen next under an era of undecided uncertainty.