Sun, The

Aroview: A lucid, painstaking portrait of Emperor Hirohito, whose authority over Japanese troops during WWII is contrasted against intimate scenes of impotence and despair.

Following expositions on Hitler and Lenin, dir. Sokurov stands firm on the woozy, hallucinogenic visuals that have become his trademark aesthetic. If slow-going at times, Ogata's complex, central performance holds interest.