2022 BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW!
Didar (Yerdos Kanayev) is a poet, but the world fails to see his talent. As he contemplates his own abilities he envisions a nineteenth-century poet, struggling to find his way, ultimately being scorned by society and executed by the authorities. Poet is Didar’s journey toward finding acceptance in a world that struggles to appreciate poetry, but more importantly this is the story of Didar attempting to find solace within himself.
What is a poet? One definition is “a person possessing special powers of imagination or expression.” Another reads “one who is especially gifted in the perception and expression of the beautiful or lyrical.” I suppose that defining the word poet isn’t all too hard, but trying to understand what constitutes good poetry is, and while there is a relevant narrative present throughout Poet, I think the primary purpose of writer-director Darezhan Omirbayev’s film is to explore the ideas of what poetry is and what it can be. Omirbayev takes a very meta approach toward Poet as he is essentially analyzing his own work and his own talent as he develops something very artsy. I love the idea of the writer sort of being his own critic throughout the production of the film. Not only does it express to viewers that there is a level of accountability present, but it tells the world that Omirbayev is creating the best possible film that he can.
It’s clear through the dialogue and the wonderfully executed cinematography that Omirbayev fully understands the intricacies of poetry and filmmaking. He’s, in some ways, a genius, because his messages are clear throughout the film, but he presents these messages in a way that still forces his viewers to think. Poet dives into the human psyche and the way in which people handle and make sense of information. The existential nature of what Poet provides viewers is harrowing and encouraging. On one hand, the film expresses to viewers that the world often struggles to understand beauty, but on the other hand Omirbayev tells his viewers that there is still potential for all of us to see beauty in the mundane.
The existential, meta nature of the film is fine and dandy, but the physical features of the film need to find their footing as well, and it feels like these aspects find success like the former. Darkness resides within Poet from beginning to end, and it’s important that the darkness that plays a pivotal role in the narrative and viewers’ reception of the film be expressed appropriately through the cinematography. That darkness is dense and unrelenting, just as it needs to be in order to get its message across to viewers. The darkness is captivating, and it feels like it comes alive thanks to the prowess of cinematographer Boris Trochev. Even in the darkest moments, the emotion present on the faces of the actors is captured delightfully; not an ounce of emotion is lost during these moments of potentially limited visibility.
There are so many positives present throughout Poet, but there’s one glaring issue that I’m struggling to overlook–the pacing and pieces of the narrative don’t necessarily warrant the focus of viewers. I truly struggled to remain focused throughout the entirety of the film, and that may cause viewers to lose something along the way. Boring isn’t the right word to describe certain aspects of Poet, but tedious may more accurately represent how the narrative feels from time to time.
The one issue that Poet possesses transcends a good portion of the film, but I think that viewers will be able to overlook the film’s shortcomings as a result of the wonderful things that it has to offer. There is a message questioning the validity of art and poetry, but even more so the beauty that exists in the everyday. Viewers should be able to access this easily, and, at this point, it becomes impossible not to appreciate this film. Poet is a beautiful introspective look at the world and at ourselves, and it begs us to both question and be open to everything.
Written & Directed by Darezhan Omirbayev.
Starring Yerdos Kanayev, Gulmira Khasanova, Klara Kabylgazina, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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