This film is a restructuring of religious allegory as well as a reflection on the basic value of life. It expresses a deep compassion for human... More

This film is a restructuring of religious allegory as well as a reflection on the basic value of life. It expresses a deep compassion for human beings living out their short spans of time on the earth and their reluctant leave-taking of it. In the first film segment, the use of the totemistic symbols with spiritual, metaphysical meanings alongside depictions of bestial desire challenge strongly-held taboos and point up the elemental nature of the intimate yet conflicting links between life, nature, and civilization. The reflection of a dying man on the life he has just concluded is the theme of the second segment. The return of the recently departed soul to the emotion-laden scenes of his life exposes his remorse for the absurd errors of his life. This third segment, interwoven with the lingering tones of the piano, is the director's gentle reply, as a vulnerable human being, to all the cruelty in the universe that God created. Close