Film titles often make promises, "There Will BE Blood" or "Disaster Movie" both delivered, (one contained blood and the other was a disaster) Director Sergei Loznitsa deceives us with My Joy, with almost anything but what could be considered "joyful".
This dark, dark tome comes to us from Russia (though filmed in Ukraine and financed by Germans) followed a period of time in the life of a Russian truck driver meeting various different people along the way, some merely offering a story (taking us into historic flashbacks) or in one case, paid sex. It unravels (very slowly) to show us a man having his spirit, hope and possibly even life destroyed by his countries rotten folk, the scum and corrupt picking apart his soul.
It's a technical feat in the sense that there are MANY long takes in this film, Director Loznitsa stated that there are only 140 in the entire 127 minute running time, while these long takes (of which I am a huge fan) are well done and work only toward emerging you into the films world even further, the confusing plot and extremely slow pace begin to grate on you after a while, though films made for us by our European brethren are usually more artistic and expressionist, this whole feature is emotionally sucking and slow, elements that could be good in some films, but this one, for all it's pretty imagery started to feel like a chore toward the end.
Great style, solid performances, but maybe something one has to see through the eyes of a Russian to understand it's many complexities, 7/10.
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