Taurus
Alexander Sokurov, 2001, 104 min

Taurus, the second film in Alexander Sokurov's tetralogy of power, delves into the final days of Vladimir Lenin, exploring the vulnerability of the man behind a political process of historic proportions. Set in Soviet Russia during the early 1920s, it follows the details of the life of the revolutionary leader, his family and servants caring for him during his illness, along with visits from guests, including Joseph Stalin. The narrative gradually reveals the disintegration of Lenin’s will as his physical and intellectual capacities fade, with a tragicomic effect. Sokurov continues to examine the destructive impact of power by focusing on the purely human and ordinary traits of those who wield it. In the face of illness, we watch the historical figure become merely a man, powerless to change anything – not only the fate of the country slipping beyond his control, but also the fate of his doomed family.

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Screening as part of The Lonely Voice of Man: Films of Alexander Sokurov