PATHOLOGIC
even the smallest archetypal parts here are played with exact specificity, the consistency of application in its exploration of performance unerring at all scales. actors walk with specific gaits, they perform specific tasks, they have specific silhouettes, and are present at specific hours in specific neighborhoods during specific phases. it comes together not unlike synchronized dance: tailors, vendors, and stabbers-in-the-dark all equally utile; the player's success contingent on the success of everyone adhering to their determined roles thru all manner of calamity
moving up further in the hierarchy the murk of poetic language and unreliable narration hangs over virtually every interaction. this too is a part of sorts, or at least parts of a part; fractions of self being revealed as much or little as required to achieve desired results for all parties. in isolation, daniil, artemy, and clara are often left only with fragments of images and ideas and sounds without full context: a childhood kingdom built on silver bands and razor blades; the albino of the steppe; impossible mathematics; bacchanal brides; laughing cherubs; the shabnak-adyr. the heart of the experience lies in the time and space between these fragments, where speculation and doubt germinate as you pace along the perfect lines of the town. thirty-six days of phantom barks, trip-hop, and pattering footfalls. another slab of discount meat. five bottles of water. one bandage. 07:00 daybreak. 20:00 bloodflow. once more thru the skinners. once more into the termitary. over the railroad, past violet clouds and rusting angels, up the staircase, and into the miracle
while it's debatable whether clara's ending is entirely ideal, in the lead up pathologic shows a surprisingly tender hand; the routes and their varied perspectives and relationships eventually having granted everyone, in all their forms, flaws, and inconsistencies, an opportunity to be seen and understood as vibrantly human. briefly, it even gives into sentimentality, proposing the possibility that history, culture, and community can be preserved, the future can be guided responsibly, and there will always be those willing to play their part to see it happen no matter the cost. a very nice thought, true or otherwise