I'm all for ambiguity in feature films and television series. The resistance to tie every plot point up in a neat little bow is an admirable trait among filmmakers and sometimes the tactic results in some tantalizing end products. Prime examples: Patrick McGoohan's classic 1960s TV series "The Prisoner", the meaning of which is still be debated by fans of the show, and director Michelangelo Antonioni's controversial 1966 thriller "Blow-Up" which might require numerous viewings before you figure out the point of the film's final scene. What I have little tolerance for is ambiguity as a cover for sheer pretentiousness. Cult director Abel Ferrara's little-seen 2019 feature film "Siberia" oozes sheer pretentiousness. It's so bizarre that Ferrara had so raise the production budget on Kickstarter through contributions from his enthusiastic fan base. Although the movie was shown at various film festivals, IMDB reports that it's international gross to date is $23,626. You read that right, folks...there isn't a zero missing. Ferrara teamed with his frequent collaborator Willem Dafoe to bring "Siberia" to the screen, which only indicates that Dafoe is a truly loyal friend or a blatant masochist.
Dafoe plays Clint, the owner (or caretaker) of a remote outpost on the frozen tundra. Although the location is never specified, perhaps it is Siberia, hence the title. It also isn't clear what the purpose of the outpost is or what Clint's duties are aside from serving drinks at the building's makeshift bar. One night, an elderly woman and a much younger woman come in to swig down some shots at the bar. They are speaking a strange language that may or may not be Inuit. In any event, Clint appears to be unable to communicate with them verbally. Suddenly, the younger woman rises up, unwraps her fur parka and reveals she is not only totally naked but about eight or nine months pregnant. Clint is aroused and begins to explore her body while the older woman looks on, bemused. The scene then switches to the couple in bed making love. This plot thread is soon dropped and- to cut to the chase- Clint finds himself on a bizarre psychological journey that sees him entering an underground lair filled with bizarre and ominous people including a naked female dwarf in a wheelchair, an apparition of his beloved father with whom he communicates, and some ghastly visions as well. Are these dreams or is Clint actually experiencing a supernatural occurrence? We then find him being transported by dog sled across the tundra before he suddenly appears in the African desert among tribesmen, for no apparent reason. The strange journey also has ominous overtones as he passes the remains of what appears to have been a concentration camp. It stirs horrific memories of authoritarian figures indulging in mass executions of naked men and a young boy who manages to escape the carnage. Was this something Clint had experienced and is it a personal recollection? Who knows...The action then shifts to a bucolic setting in the countryside in another unspecified location where Clint asks a practitioner of the black arts to teach him its secrets. The man declines. We then see another scenario emerge in which Clint meets his mother, who seems to have some sexual desire for him. Things are rounded off by him encountering his ex-wife and her child (is it also his child?) Waiting for answers to clarify these mysteries is a bit like waiting for Godot in that they never arrive. Dafoe gives a daring, intense performance, but to what end? The ambiguity here seems to be provided simply to convince viewers that Ferrara had some deep meaning to the goings-on. However, I'm reminded of an old cartoon in which some pseudo-intellectuals are analyzing the precise meaning of a modern art painting. When they leave, the curator discovers it has been hanging upside down and adjusts it accordingly, thus rendering the viewers' conclusions meaningless. The same can be said about "Siberia". I doubt that even Ferrara knows what it all means. He probably just tossed it out there in the hope his fans would think he was presenting something profound.
The Lionsgate Blu-ray (with digital copy) looks very good indeed and does justice to Stefano Falivene's impressive cinematography, one of the few admirable aspects of the production. The only bonus extra is a trailer. It's a pity Ferrara didn't provide a commentary track. We might have been able to discover what inspired him to bring this this pretentious and preposterous mess to the screen.