Review of The Sacrifice

I love Nykvist's always spellbinding cinematography, and I have liked some other Tarkovsky films, I had no problem with the slow pace or empty shots, actually would have like the whole thing better with none of those annoying people in it. But sorry, I can only explain the misplaced reverence for this film as credit for his earlier work, and respect as his career and life was ending. However, this film is the kind of thing that has made "intellectual" a dirty word in the US. Just what we need - more artful glorification of the cliché that being an intellectual means being a spoiled rotten self-absorbed, self-pitying terminally miserable humorless neurotic, who has it all but does nothing but desperately search for reasons to feel sorry for himself. This film asks deep questions? Sorry but I was only 12 when my intellect questioned and rejected the ridiculous idea of a "loving" all powerful god getting sadistic kicks from demanding "sacrifices". This film limply accepts that lame-brained dark-ages scam of religious oppression with a whimper. But why not when the sacrifice involves every old rich white guy's fantasy of banging his hot young maid! Some sacrifice! Of course he manages to turn even that into a downer - sheesh! Can't be an "art" movie without a topless maid! Class oppression - even making the maids wear uniforms in the 20th Century - is another sickening idea that is accepted without comment or critique. The idea of there being some eco-idealistic message in burning a house is also silly as hell. He obviously had no problem owning a house that would take the energy use of a small country to heat. Guess it doesn't matter if it impresses the neighbors. And people say this is about teaching the next generation to do better? Are you kidding? It's sad that there's an art-house audience for such pap, when Greenaway can't even get a release in the US these days. So... this is the film for you if you're no longer satisfied with depressive navel gazing, and you're so desperate for miserable self-absorption that you'll bend over and stare at your own anus, so then you can complain that something smells bad, and you have a backache too.