Offret
"The final film of Andrei Tarkovsky"
Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
Cast: Erland Josephson, Susan Fleetwood, Allan Edwall, Guðrún Gísladóttir, Sven Wollter
The Sacrifice — Movie Quotes
Memorable Quotes
In the beginning was the Word. Why is that, Papa?
Context
Spoken by the boy as he lies under the barren tree after his father has been taken away in the ambulance.
Meaning
The final line of the film, spoken by the previously mute child. It signifies the return of the Word, not as empty chatter, but as a vessel of truth and a new beginning, cycling back to the biblical opening of John.
I will give Thee all I have. I'll give up my family, whom I love. I'll destroy my house... I'll be mute, and never speak another word to anyone.
Context
Alexander prays alone in the darkness of his room while the others are downstairs, after hearing the news of the war.
Meaning
The core vow of the film. It defines the absolute nature of the sacrifice required to avert the apocalypse—a total renunciation of the self and worldly attachments.
Every gift involves a sacrifice. If not, what kind of gift would it be?
Context
Otto says this while giving Alexander a framed antique map as a birthday present.
Meaning
A philosophical key to the film's premise. It suggests that true giving hurts and requires giving up something of value, foreshadowing Alexander's ultimate act.
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