At 4 ½ hours, Alexandre Sokourov's Confession (Povinnost) is not for the faint of heart. Nothing at all happens through the 5-part B & W video series that demonstrates just how dark, dreary, and tough life is on a Russian coal carrier in the Arctic. But if you consider yourself a true cine-phile, here are 10 reasons why you should include it on your list of must-sees in Montreal this week.

Reasons To Go See Confession

• 10. You feel miserable and your therapist tells you it would be good for you to think about other's misery for a change.
• 9.You've been having bizarre fantasies about spending time with a bunch of very young sailors on a ship in the frozen and dark Arctic.
• 8.You've had enough of fast-food films and feel ready for the full-meal deal.
• 7.You like to read "heavy books written by old men" but no longer have the time.
• 6.You've heard that the Russians have the inside track on mysticism.
• 5.You have wondered about the effects that the Russian situation is having on its youth and would like a perspective other than the shocking news.
• 4.You think that to experience moving images in a darkened room with strangers is about more than just eating popcorn and being entertained.
• 3.You LIKE to read poetry.
• 2.You think about existence, humanity, and every once in a while you wonder about spiritual emptiness.
• 1.You feel up to a 4 ½ hour meditation that will leave you in an altered state with a deeper appreciation of life and the metaphysical.