Mat i syn (1997)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Aleksandr Sokurov

Writer:

Yuri Arabov (writer)

Release Date:

6 February 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A slow and poignant story of love and patience told via a dying mother nursed by her devoted son. The...

Plot Keywords:

Cult Director | Loneliness | Nature | Russia | Old Woman

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Aleksei Ananishnov	...	Son
Gudrun Geyer	...	Mother

Directed by
Aleksandr Sokurov

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Yuri Arabov		writer

Produced by
Aleksandr Golutva	....	executive producer
Martin Hagemann	....	executive producer
Thomas Kufus	....	producer
Katrin Schlösser	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Mikhail Ivanovich

Cinematography by
Aleksei Fyodorov

Film Editing by
Leda Semyonova

Production Design by
Esther Ritterbusch
Vera Zelinskaya

Art Direction by
Esther Rittersbusch
Leda Zelinskaia

Makeup Department
Yekaterina Beschastnaya	....	makeup artist
Grit Kosse	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marina Koreneva	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Vladimir Persov	....	sound
Martin Steyer	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Gennadi Gromov	....	camera operator
Alik Nasyrov	....	camera operator
Viktor Palekh	....	camera operator
Aleksandr Palm	....	camera operator
Alexander Palm	....	assistant camera
Sergei Vershinin	....	camera operator

Music Department
Andrey Deryabin	....	music producer

Other crew
Michael Kruger	....	location manager

Thanks
Andrey Deryabin	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Severny Fond
• Zero Film GmbH
• Lenfilm Studio
• O-Film

Distributors

• International Film Circuit (1998) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Look Now! (1998) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (1998) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (1998) (Luxembourg) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (1998) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (video)
• Connaissance du Cinéma (France)
• Filmfreak Distributie (1999) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Fox Lorber (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Kino Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Primer Plano Film Group (Argentina)
• Prodimag (2005) (Spain) (DVD) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Мать и сын (Russia)
Mother and Son (USA)
Mutter und Sohn (Germany)

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

Russia | Germany

Language:

Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | France:U | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U

Company:

Severny Fond

Movie Connections:

Followed by Otets i syn (2003)

Beautiful, Dreadful, Moving, Hypnotic & Powerful

Mother & Son is a stunningly perfectionist yet tremendously moving piece of art. The plot as it is revolves around a son tending to his dying mother in a rural Russian setting.

Whilst this situation is itself moving, the primary impact of the film is sensual. Sokurov goes to immense trouble to turn every extended take into a mesmerising image worthy in-itself, using intricate filters and in-camera techniques to create a stunningly original visual landscape. The dolby soundtrack is just as complex, mixing natural ambient recordings, sparse but precise dialog and occasional snippets of classical music mixed in at a nearly inaudible level. The soundtrack itself could stand alone.

More importantly, perhaps, the style fits the subject matter. What Sokurov essentially does is kills the audience - the film has an immense hypnotic power that places the audience directly inside the gaze of the dying woman. Both times I saw this film, the entire audience was left sitting dazed and motionless for a number of minutes after the house lights had come up.

The final triumph is the films short running time of 1 hr 15 minutes. The audience is given no time to lose concentration, and the film achieves all its goals in this time.

Mother & Son must rank as one of the few recent films to qualify as a truly cinematic experience.