The collaboration between Abel Ferrara (Body Snatchers) and Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse) plays out much like a deeply arthouse equivalent to the great cinematic partnerships like Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. In their sixth film with one another, Dafoe continues to be the vessel that Ferrara uses to work out his own personal demons. Their most recent film Tommaso took audiences on a journey through the mind of a tortured artist in a way that was challenging but ultimately quite satisfying. This time out Ferrara doubles down as he uses a manuscript from psychiatrist Carl Jung as a jumping off point to take a hallucinatory trip through his mind by turning dreams into a feature film. If this sounds a bit risky, it is. And it is an endeavor that can be deeply alienating to audiences who are more in the mood for a straightforward narrative rather than a mental wrestling match without even the slightest desire to lead you to a firm meaning. “Reason is an obstacle to some knowledge and secrets,” a magician played by the great Simon McBurney tells our protagonist at one point late in the film. This is the thesis of the film if there ever was one.
Dafoe plays Clint, a man so afraid of confronting his past that he has absconded to the titular snowy territory where he runs a bar mostly frequented by a few Inuit locals and the occasional adventurous explorer. The film starts out with Dafoe’s rough voice over a black screen as he recites a childhood story of a fishing trip he took with his father and brother that serves as one of the only notable instances of male bonding he has ever experienced. From here you can never really be sure what is a dream (or most likely nightmare) and what is reality. A fairly innocuous visit from a beautiful woman and her old mother soon takes a turn to the viscerally sexual as the woman strips down to reveal her pregnant form, at which point Clint indulges in his more primal tendencies. Other moments are more clear cut as visions of a fierce bear attack assaults the senses for a brief time in a way only enhanced by the disorienting editing. The details are not vitally important, but Ferrara appears to be exploring the primal instincts of man and certain phobias that are relatable no matter how unlikely.
As you embark upon the Lynchian journey, you get some hints as to what Clint may be struggling with, most notably in the form of the relationship with his emotionally distant father and brother. In a clever bit of artistry, Ferrara realizes that the only actor who can stand toe-to-toe with Dafoe is Dafoe himself, who takes on both of these roles in a bit of dream logic. While often wrapped up in pretty language, most of the confrontations amount to a base feeling of loneliness, fear, helplessness, insecurity and regret. The series of vignettes are supposed to lead this character to a presumed self-actualization, but such a personal journey does not alway amount to the most thrilling time for the audience. You experience some of the same base emotions as the character as Ferrara indulges in his preoccupation with sex and violence. Without normal conversation as an option for the majority of his interactions, Clint’s subconscious processes certain event with visions of executions and sex and death metal music. After all, your dreams are supposed to be the purest distillation of your thoughts.
The further you go along this journey, the more unwieldy it becomes and the more removed you feel from the experience. You can somewhat understand a bit of what Ferrara is trying to explore in his enigmatic manner, but at a point it becomes the cinematic equivalent to listening to a person describing their dreams. Without the emotional investment that Ferrara obviously has in it, there is only so much you can respond to. The saving grace of this film, as with any film he makes an appearance, is the inimitable Willem Dafoe. Time has proven him to be one of our greatest living actors, and he is able to make even the most perplexing situations radiate at a frequency that keeps you wanting to watch just to see where he goes next. There is little doubt that no other actor would have been able to channel what Ferrara is trying to tackle into as compelling of a portrait as Dafoe has. A trust has built between these two over the years, and the performer has been given the runway to use his natural expressiveness to make sense out of confusion.
Siberia is an ambitious narrative experience, but it is one that fails to provide something truly compelling throughout large swaths of the runtime. There are those who will revel in the psychoanalysis aspect of the dreamscape, but most will give their due respect to Dafoe and move on with their lives. Ferrara is a challenging filmmaker who has once again provided a piece filled with evocative imagery that does not play well with the mainstream. It is a shame he chose not to provide a somewhat accessible pathway for his supporters to take the journey into chaos alongside him.
Video Quality
Siberia comes to Blu-Ray in a detailed 1080p presentation in its 2.39:1 original aspect ratio that is quite striking in high definition. The clarity throughout is outstanding even though the majority of the film takes place in shadow. Black levels are deep and do not fall victim to any noticeable digital noise or errors of the sort, even if fine detail is not the strongest in these moments. In the brighter moments, there are subtle flourishes in the setting and scenery that come through perfectly. Color saturation is great with the color palette graded strongly in various ways at different points in the film. When traveling in the “far north” the grading shifts towards teal while a stark desert setting shifts towards an intense yellow. Skin tones are natural to the lighting conditions, and there are many shots of skin that provide an interesting textural detail. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has delivered a strong high definition presentation here.
Audio Quality
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is extremely engaging, and it never fails to transport you deeper into this odyssey. The soundscape on display here is very rich thanks to the way in which Ferrara places you into the human mind where there is information flowing from all directions. All of the effects have a nice sense of direction within the mix with noises such as the bear attack really springing to life. The movie uses environmental sounds to great effect, and the track retains strong detail even in the more chaotic developments. This film is not meant to be a full-throttle action film, but there are moments where certain bursts of excitement pack a bigger punch that one might expect. There are moments in this track that feel almost assaultive to the audience in their intensity which leads to a feeling of disorientation to go along with the narrative. Ferrara furthers this by not providing subtitles for the non-English speaking bits of the film. Dialogue comes through crystal clear with none of the information feeling lost to the music in the film or the sound effects. There are numerous moments that make good use of the low end. The track is a top notch effort from Lionsgate.
Special Features
- Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided that makes the film look quite thrilling.
Final Thoughts
Siberia is a puzzling journey into dreams that provides striking imagery but little in the way of a tangible emotional through line. Willem Dafoe elevates and transforms the material in a way that only an actor of his talent can, but even he cannot imbue the film with more meaning than you are willing to excavate. There are those who will hail this as a boundary-pushing masterpiece, but for most the journey will leave them as cold as the territory in which the film takes place. Lionsgate Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray that sports a top-notch A/V presentation but almost nothing in the way of special features. This one is for die-hard fans of Dafoe and Ferrara only.
Siberia is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Lionsgate Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
