The Sacrifice (The Sacrifice)

Andrei Tarkovsky’s last film won three awards at Cannes. Shot in Sweden, the film revolves around Alexander, a former actor and philosopher who turns to God, vouching to give up everything he loves in an attempt to prevent a nuclear war. Erland Josephson, the famous Bergman actor, plays the successful dramaturgist Aleksandr who is celebrating his birthday surrounded by friends at a holiday cottage. In the meantime, the bomb has dropped and the Third World War is imminent. Aleksandr seems to be the only one conscious of the full scale of the disaster. He decides to sacrifice his belongings to god to avert the cataclysm. From time to time, the postman drops by, frequently quoting Nietzsche.