The Lighthouse

Mariya Saakyan's first film, from 2006, follows Lena returning to an Armenian village where the war continues, trying to take her grandparents to Moscow. The old people refuse to go; the village empties slowly and those who remain carry on with daily life. Saakyan does not show the war directly: the sound of aircraft, distant explosions, the preparations of those about to leave. The film's force lies in that indirection; what is filmed is not the violence but the emptiness it leaves. The images are close to dream and the time uncertain. The director made this film in her twenties and died young; her work stayed small. The narrative is unconnected and deliberately scattered. Who it's for: viewers interested in Armenian and Caucasian cinema and in poetic storytelling. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a clear narrative, or who would rather not watch without the context of the war.