I seem to have the same reaction to each of Angelopoulos' films; flawed genius. But in each film, the flaws and what feels masterful is different.

Mild spoilers ahead...

In this story of a 12 year old girl and her younger brother on a fruitless journey for their non- existent father in Germany what works is the ultimate emotional impact of the piece (it left me in tears), and (as always) the sheer poetic power of some of Angelopoulos' images.

On the other hand, a key supporting character (the youthful actor Oresteis) is thinly written and exists basically as an overly-convenient plot point. Some of the dialogue and ideas feel heavy handed, and some images are lifted from other director's films. And the references to his own earlier film 'The Traveling Players' are an interesting, brave style choice, but also a bit distracting and intellectual. The young girl's acting is mostly terrific, but the young boy feels fake at times, which doesn't help.

There are scenes I'll never forget. Maybe the most disturbing (yet completely hidden) rape scene I've ever seen. But other scenes feel awkward or forced.

This is the kind of film that may grow on revisiting, and I certainly plan to see it again.

This is not Angelopoulos' masterpiece (as the DVD would like one to believe), but there are still sequences of enormous beauty and emotion (even if some seem more contrived than organic). In this piece, Angelopoulos readily excels in his portrayal of violence, which is really very disturbing. Angelopoulos is not so successful in relating to the young girl in quite the same, effective way that he handles her younger brother and the young actor going into the army. One is tempted to think this is because he avoids close-ups (especially in the scene where she yells at her uncle), but, on the other hand, the same visual style is applied to the other characters. Perhaps it is Angelopoulos' own personal inability to relate to the young woman's plight in the story. The ending, however, of "Landscape in the Midst," like, "The Travelling Players" is quite transcendent and unforgettable. Even with all of its flaws, this is still one of the most moving pictures ever.

A road movie about two children (Voula and Alexandre) searching for their father who is supposed to live in Germany. Their obsession for this father figure will take them to the boundaries between childhood and adolescence.

"Landscape in the Mist" was Angelopoulos' first film to be distributed in the United States, being distributed by New Yorker Films. This also happens to be the first of his films that I have seen, and one of the first Greek films, for that matter. (If I have seen more than ten Greek films I would be surprised.) The concept is great, but what really sells the film is some of the strong imagery. The most gripping part of the entire film was when a helicopter came and lifted something out of the water... it was captivating and seemed to possess far more meaning than it possibly should have.