The world in Bulgakov’s fantastic and philosophical novel is boundless and incredibly difficult to put on film. To transport the novel into one only film is simply unthinkable and this adventure has taken director Vladimir Bortko 500 minutes of screen time when he strives to not “reread” the book but to “recreate” it anew. The atmosphere sinks in intangible horror elements, the sets are characterised by gloomy grandeur exciting the reader-viewer’s imaginatin, and Oleg Bassilashvili’s Voland exudes incredible tragic energy.