InSkazka,AlexanderSokurovweavesdigitalmagictocreateaphantasmagoricalvisionoftheAfterlife,worthyofDante.Butwait:areweinthelimboofPurgatory,oraparadoxicalParadisereservedfornotoriousmenofworldhistory?Mussolini,Stalin,Hitler,Churchillandmore:allarepresentandaccountedfor.Sincetheyexistonlyasarchivalmediaimages,eachfigurecomesinaserialset.Intheblackestofpoliticalcomedies,thesefallenmenbeg,inturn,tobeletthroughHeaven’sGate–buttheangelswhopeekthroughneveropenwide.Littlewonder,astheformerleaderswanderlistlessly,bitching(inaBabelofmultiplelanguages)abouteachother’sclothes,hairandhygiene.Inwhatiseffectivelyaworkofanimation,Sokurovhaspulledtogethermanytalentsintoanextraordinarytechnologicalfeat.Itblendspictorialelementsfromarthistorytoformanendlesslyunfoldinglandscape,repletewithfogandghostlyarmiesofthesacrificedvictimsofhistory.AnnouncedasSokurov’slastfilm,SkazkaisaninspiredriffonthehighcultureofPeterGreenawaymixedwiththelowcultureofmash-upartistsSoda_J