This is a beautifully shot and composed film that is made up mainly of set pieces of small vignettes and amazing central Asian scenery. The story itself is interesting to those who enjoy stories about spiritual searches. But the acting is so stiff and wooden as to be almost unwatchable and you can tell Mr Brook, the director, is primarily a theater director as each scene is so over-directed it's almost painful to witness. The main actor has a Russian accent that is distracting and also inconsistent with the actor who plays him as a younger man, and he doesn't even look "young" like Gurdjieff is supposed to be during this time period - he looks middle-aged. I understand followers of Gurdjieff may treat this film as almost a sacred document, showing his early life as he was on his way to his discoveries, but that doesn't make up for an otherwise forgettable film filled with forced set pieces that are almost unintentionally humorous to watch today.
Review of Meetings with Remarkable Men
