The best way to describe Lech Majewski's The Mill and the Cross is that it is falling into a painting for 90 minutes. The film is an in-depth analysis of Flemish painter Pieter Brugel the Elder's 1564 painting "Way to Calvary."
If you have a chance to see this on the big screen, you should. The entire movies is about the the cinematography. Even though Rutger Hauer and Michael York are cast in the leads as Brugel and his patron, their only real function is to play the Greek chorus. As the painter, Hauer explains the various symbols in the painting while York explains the religious and political issues of the day, which leads to the painting.
Through the magic of technology, the entire movie is set in the same scenery that is reflected painting and the story arc also follows the painting's narrative.
It's a very interesting project, but you need to be in the right frame of mind to view it. The movie feels more like a trip to an art gallery rather than the cinema. That said, it's one of the most striking films I have seen in a while.
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