Francofonia (2015)

The most obvious film to compare Francofonia with is The Russian Ark (2002, which Aleksandr Sokurov also directed) in that they are both films about a museum, The Russian Ark being a sort of film essay on The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, while Francofonia is along similar lines about the Lourve in Paris. Where The Russian Ark is a magnificent extended shot within The Hermitage, with a vast cast in various periods costume, Francofonia is more cut up in its collage, there are some nice shots of various pieces on display in the museum, as well as a slightly odd framing story about the documentary film maker having Skype conversations with an associate on a cargo ship loaded with art in danger of being lost in a massive storm. That framing story I suppose is meant to counter point the other narrative this film keeps going back to, namely the unlikely partnership between the then director of the Lourve and the Nazi officer put in charge of it during the occupation, and how they together managed to protect most of the artwork from being destroyed or removed from the country. I can't help but wonder how that story might have worked as a more traditional narrative film, but the telling here still manages to get the point across. Not like most films you'll ever see in its presentation, which at times seems surprisingly casual. ***1/2