STATE FUNERAL

Sergei Loznitsa hones in on the historic ceremonies in the Soviet Union following Joseph Stalin’s death in 1953. The corpse is already lying in state as the film commences. Black-and-white and colour images alternate, evoking emotions that lie between distance to a bygone burial and the unsettling mood of a contemporaneous one. “Death has come and now we are alone”, as the haunting message emanating from the public address system drones. Guests of state from all over the world land at the airport, wreath after wreath is carried and set down in commemoration. Stalin’s immortality is reinforced by the earnest handshakes of the ruling class. Stalin is dead, long live Stalin! Long live Communism! Seemingly endless lines press forward to his coffin and long funeral marches wind their way through the nation. Bolstered by extensive archival materials and his own adept editing, Sergei Loznitsa has created a special testimony to a singular moment in time that allows the viewer to perceive the fine line between life and death in an over-mediated reality. The film is an invitation to reflect on manipulation and deception, perceived normality and grotesque charade.