“A grand, unworldly, even anti worldly religious vision that depends on its perfect pitch to avoid absurdity and bathos.” - Richard Brody, New Yorker

“As THE SACRIFICE comes full circle, returning to that spindly tree by the sea and its nurturing, the film itself emerges as a symbolic gesture of great emotional impact.” - Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

Saturday, June 17 & Sunday, June 25 | A family is celebrating the birthday of their patriarch Alexander when news reaches them that the world is headed for nuclear war. Alexander pronounces to God that he will make the ultimate sacrifice and give up everything in his life, including his beloved son, the mute “Little Man,” to avert the apocalypse. Tarkovsky’s final film, shot while he was dying of cancer and released just months before his passing, is a haunting and prescient exploration of humanityand a fatheron the brink of annihilation. A grand and spectacular vision of family and faith, THE SACRIFICE is a stunning moviegoing experience.  


Awards & Nominations

Winner - FIPRESCI Prize, Grand Prize of the Jury, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Cannes Film Festival
Nominee - Palme d'Or, Cannes Film Festival


Daddy IssuesPaternal relationships—from the challenging to the cherished—have been consistent fodder for the big screen. In the ten films of our Daddy Issues series—timed perfectly for you to celebrate (or denounce) Father’s Day—we take a closer look at the foundational father figure in film. From the heroic to the delinquent, from the absent to the affable, the fathers of Daddy Issues have raised us, onscreen and off. View full series.