Sometimes it takes a little more preparation than usual before settling down to watch a movie - when it runs in at over four hours it's always a good idea to make sure you're stocked up on food and drinks to see you through the long slog, which is certainly the case with the Filipino film, Norte, The End Of History. Fitting into the obscure category of "slow cinema", this deceptively simple drama tells of a disillusioned intellectual who commits an impulsive act of murder and gets away with it, whilst simultaneously exploring the path taken by the man wrongly convicted for the crime. Part Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, part Chekovian commentary on class divide, it plays out at a deceptively meandering pace. Viewers with patience are likely to find Norte, The End Of History a richly rewarding experience, not least with the sumptuous colourful cinematography which serves up some truly striking images. It's the first film by Lav Diaz to get a release in the West and one of his shortest - some of his previous films weight in at a daunting eight hour running time.
