This is a beautifully shot, poetic film concerned with memory and the relationship between personal and political histories. Alexander is a dying author who prepares to leave his family for good when he stumbles upon a letter from his late wife. This evokes memories of happier times, illustrated in some beautiful flash back sequences, including a chance encounter with an Albanian orphan. Characteristically both eloquent and discursive, Angelopoulo's film subtly intertwines the sequences from the past and present, allowing a commentary on the way that memories structure our lives. Alexander eventually finds renewal and hope through his foray into the past, this is a superbly made film.