Marker’s early documentary is a remarkable gem that constantly surprises with its eclectic approach to observing the world, in this case, Siberian culture, history and its peoples.

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The more I watch stuff from Chris Marker, the more I feel he was the unsung hero of the French New Wave.  Someone on Letterboxd likened him to the Jean-Luc Godard of documentaries, which is an interesting way to put it. 

Here in Letter from Siberia, Marker’s early work from the late ‘50s, a few years before La jetée (1962) ‘made’ his name, we could already see what an innovative filmmaker he was. 

Running at just an hour long, this documentary, told from the viewpoint of a traveller—and hence functions like a travelogue—constantly surprises with its eclectic approach to observing the world. 

We have animation that cheekily explains certain peculiar aspects of Siberian culture or history.  We have the traveller-narrator amusingly making light of what is visually presented, whilst at the same time spitting facts and trivia. 

We also have an impressive array of shots of animals, be it domesticated bears, reindeer, or the odd dog existing in the Siberian cold. 

“Culture is left behind when everyone has gone home.”

Unlike, say, Bergman’s Fårö Document (1970), which is a much more straightforward account of life on an island with standard talking heads, though with similarly breathtaking shots of nature, Marker treats Letter from Siberia as a work that pushes the raison d’etre possibilities for the documentary medium—that it can be informative, artistic, observational, ethno-cultural, socio-political and speculative at the same time. 

Best of all, we can feel the sincerity emanating from his film despite packing several styles within a rather short if still highly effective piece. 

Ultimately, we can be thankful that these types of films exist, giving us a snapshot of life in remote areas that find themselves at the mercy of future modern development. 

Marker’s sharp and witty comparison between Siberia (and by extension, the Soviet Union) and aspects of the West, whether cultural interpretation or differences, reaches a meta-level when he records three different kinds of narration for the same footage, thus showing how cultural politics may be perceived and manipulated.

Grade: A

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