69 reviews
Most of the complaints about the movie fail to realize that sometimes, in more artistic works time, lighting, limited dialogue are used to create a mood. This move had a very interesting message, and in order to demonstrate the predicament that Elena is in. I could relate to her and how she felt that she was used and that her step daughter takes things for granted. While Elena is a very modest women who is looking out for the best interests of those around her.
I did enjoy the film, and as with most foreign films I enjoy the lighting the music and the overall feel. This goes a long way in order to transport us to another time and place. I actually felt for Elena right from the start of the film.
You must see in order to understand but I hope you get as much as I got out of it.
I did enjoy the film, and as with most foreign films I enjoy the lighting the music and the overall feel. This goes a long way in order to transport us to another time and place. I actually felt for Elena right from the start of the film.
You must see in order to understand but I hope you get as much as I got out of it.
- denpolites
- Dec 25, 2011
- Permalink
- susanbeach11
- Feb 4, 2012
- Permalink
The director makes the statement that the devil you know might strike any time. The darkness is present all around. This is not Disney.
- sergelamarche
- Mar 4, 2021
- Permalink
- peppyaiolov
- Dec 22, 2011
- Permalink
We're soon approaching the end of 2012. What a fabulous year for films, ey? Whilst I'm holding off completing my 'Top Movies of 2012′ until Christmas time, I'm rapidly trying to cram in all of those movies I've been desperate to see this year but, for some silly reason or another, have failed to get around to. Elena is such a film. The third feature from Russian modern master Andrey Zvyagintsev (The Return, The Banishment), it's a frosty, portentous, and oddly beautiful depiction of conflict between contemporary Moscow's bourgeoisie and the humble underclass.
Nadezhda Markina plays the title character Elena, a sixty-something, former state nurse turned docile housewife to the wealthy Russian aristocrat Vladimir (Andrey Smirnov). They met late in life when Elena was once caring for Vladimir in a hospital bed, and started up an unlikely kinship. Whether it was a bond formed out of compromise or compassion is unsure, but now, ten years on, their stale, loveless marriage is nothing more than a formality.
Elena spends her days travelling by tram, train and bus to to visit her unemployed son from a previous marriage, Sergei (Andrei Smirnov). Living in the Projects and overlooking a disused power plant from the old communist days, he depends on his mother to support his family, and gets supplements from her pension money, and sly payments from Vladimir's estate.
Vladimir's relationship with his daughter Katya is initially far more hostile, but just as parasitic. Begrudgingly labelling her as a hedonist, the concerned father has cut off any contact with Katya, happy to transfer monthly payments into her bank account, but not willing to start up a paternal bond. After a heart attack puts Vladimir in hospital, Elena hatches a despicable plan to give her grandson enough money to put him through university; a prevention from the harsh life in the Russian underclass.
With deliberately slow pacing, long takes and a muted, quasi-apocalyptic colour palette, when it featured at Cannes this year, comparisons with prodigious Russian auteur were aplenty. But aside from these niggling aspects, Zvyagintsev is working within his own social-realism vein; taking the conventions of melodrama and reconfiguring them into an abstemious framework. He manages to present a quintessentially Russian cultural divide, but make it universally engaging and cinematic through some incredible performers across the board. Markina is astonishing in the lead. A taciturn character, she uses expression and lost glances to perfectly encapsulate the neglected wife-turned-carer, who is on the brink of depression and mania.
The finest moment of the entire movie doesn't even include our leading lady. Sitting in a private hospital bed, Vladimir's first and only encounter with daughter Katya is unnerving yet deeply poignant. Making up for lost time, they share awkward, short exchanges at first, before the emotions soon come flooding to the surface and the pair are sharing smiles and tears of joy, unbeknownst to them, for the last time.
The glacial cinematography from Mikhail Krichman, along with a pitch-perfect score from New York's Philip Glass, make Elena a film of remarkable, modest beauty. Give it a few years to mature, and we'll soon be heralding it as a modern masterpiece of some new European cinema movement. What movement? That's up for talented director Andrey Zvyagintsev to decide.
Read more reviews at http://www.366movies.com
Nadezhda Markina plays the title character Elena, a sixty-something, former state nurse turned docile housewife to the wealthy Russian aristocrat Vladimir (Andrey Smirnov). They met late in life when Elena was once caring for Vladimir in a hospital bed, and started up an unlikely kinship. Whether it was a bond formed out of compromise or compassion is unsure, but now, ten years on, their stale, loveless marriage is nothing more than a formality.
Elena spends her days travelling by tram, train and bus to to visit her unemployed son from a previous marriage, Sergei (Andrei Smirnov). Living in the Projects and overlooking a disused power plant from the old communist days, he depends on his mother to support his family, and gets supplements from her pension money, and sly payments from Vladimir's estate.
Vladimir's relationship with his daughter Katya is initially far more hostile, but just as parasitic. Begrudgingly labelling her as a hedonist, the concerned father has cut off any contact with Katya, happy to transfer monthly payments into her bank account, but not willing to start up a paternal bond. After a heart attack puts Vladimir in hospital, Elena hatches a despicable plan to give her grandson enough money to put him through university; a prevention from the harsh life in the Russian underclass.
With deliberately slow pacing, long takes and a muted, quasi-apocalyptic colour palette, when it featured at Cannes this year, comparisons with prodigious Russian auteur were aplenty. But aside from these niggling aspects, Zvyagintsev is working within his own social-realism vein; taking the conventions of melodrama and reconfiguring them into an abstemious framework. He manages to present a quintessentially Russian cultural divide, but make it universally engaging and cinematic through some incredible performers across the board. Markina is astonishing in the lead. A taciturn character, she uses expression and lost glances to perfectly encapsulate the neglected wife-turned-carer, who is on the brink of depression and mania.
The finest moment of the entire movie doesn't even include our leading lady. Sitting in a private hospital bed, Vladimir's first and only encounter with daughter Katya is unnerving yet deeply poignant. Making up for lost time, they share awkward, short exchanges at first, before the emotions soon come flooding to the surface and the pair are sharing smiles and tears of joy, unbeknownst to them, for the last time.
The glacial cinematography from Mikhail Krichman, along with a pitch-perfect score from New York's Philip Glass, make Elena a film of remarkable, modest beauty. Give it a few years to mature, and we'll soon be heralding it as a modern masterpiece of some new European cinema movement. What movement? That's up for talented director Andrey Zvyagintsev to decide.
Read more reviews at http://www.366movies.com
- octopusluke
- Dec 2, 2012
- Permalink
This is the sort of movie that will do well at film festivals and with certain critics but for me it's all a bit too familiar, though there is simply no denying that this still remains a very well made movie.
Kind of funny but while watching this movie it kept reminding me of a different Russian movie that I had seen; "Vozvrashchenie". I only found out later that the movie indeed had been directed by the same director; Andrei Zvyagintsev. So he obviously is a person with a very strong and distinctive style but yet I wasn't as intrigued with this movie as I was was with "Vozvrashchenie".
It's a movie that shows how one event can change everything in a family. That is good all but it's not exactly something that has never been done in any movie before. I did wish that the movie would had done some more interesting stuff at times with its story and characters but it instead makes the choice to be a simplistic and straightforward as possible, which adds to the realism perhaps but not to the originality and it doesn't make this the most interesting or effective genre example either.
The movie definitely takes the time to setup things but it feels a bit pointless at times. Really, the movie too often is showing you absolutely nothing and some sequences are needlessly long. The movie wants you to fill in things for yourself mostly and doesn't just lay out everything. It's the reason why the movie also often has no dialog at all in it. The first part and the final part of the movie is like this. It seemed like things were developing- and starting to get interesting in the middle but it doesn't ever push through.
Still I can't be very negative toward this movie. It's obviously a superior made movie, that is beautiful looking as well, with its cinematography, that helps to set up a nice mood for the movie. Also nothing wrong with its storytelling. I mean, it does what it does well, even though it just isn't my cup of tea and it really isn't the best, most original, or intriguing example of the genre that I have ever seen. It's great to watch still, if you are into these type of movies.
A really good movie, you can still real easily do without though and is hardly the best that the genre currently has to offer.
7/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
Kind of funny but while watching this movie it kept reminding me of a different Russian movie that I had seen; "Vozvrashchenie". I only found out later that the movie indeed had been directed by the same director; Andrei Zvyagintsev. So he obviously is a person with a very strong and distinctive style but yet I wasn't as intrigued with this movie as I was was with "Vozvrashchenie".
It's a movie that shows how one event can change everything in a family. That is good all but it's not exactly something that has never been done in any movie before. I did wish that the movie would had done some more interesting stuff at times with its story and characters but it instead makes the choice to be a simplistic and straightforward as possible, which adds to the realism perhaps but not to the originality and it doesn't make this the most interesting or effective genre example either.
The movie definitely takes the time to setup things but it feels a bit pointless at times. Really, the movie too often is showing you absolutely nothing and some sequences are needlessly long. The movie wants you to fill in things for yourself mostly and doesn't just lay out everything. It's the reason why the movie also often has no dialog at all in it. The first part and the final part of the movie is like this. It seemed like things were developing- and starting to get interesting in the middle but it doesn't ever push through.
Still I can't be very negative toward this movie. It's obviously a superior made movie, that is beautiful looking as well, with its cinematography, that helps to set up a nice mood for the movie. Also nothing wrong with its storytelling. I mean, it does what it does well, even though it just isn't my cup of tea and it really isn't the best, most original, or intriguing example of the genre that I have ever seen. It's great to watch still, if you are into these type of movies.
A really good movie, you can still real easily do without though and is hardly the best that the genre currently has to offer.
7/10
http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/
- Boba_Fett1138
- May 14, 2012
- Permalink
This movie is great, slow but beautiful, but the ambiguity is the best part, all the themes are condensed in the first and final frame, think about it, what is worth? the welfare of many aside his flaws or the coldness and sterility of few.
The atmosphere is hypnotic.
All the characters have reasonable grounds, all are ugly but very real.
The synthesis to show the decadence and disillusionment of Russian youth is strong
the performances are outstanding overhanging the main female character which we do not know if understand or condemn and even though the couple has some reason the mother instinct is prevalent, is simply a game of survival.
The atmosphere is hypnotic.
All the characters have reasonable grounds, all are ugly but very real.
The synthesis to show the decadence and disillusionment of Russian youth is strong
the performances are outstanding overhanging the main female character which we do not know if understand or condemn and even though the couple has some reason the mother instinct is prevalent, is simply a game of survival.
Andrey Zvyagintsev 's 'The Return' is my favourite film to date of the 21st century. 'Elena', a personal drama that illuminates the class structure in contemporary Russia, is not quite so powerful – it's very slow, and the ambiguity of motive that drove the earlier film is not there. And on first viewing it wasn't clear to me whether the shocking but strangely ambivalent ending is a work of genius or the sign of a film that has lost its focus. Still, the director's ability to construct haunting, unexpected images has not deserted him; some scenes reminded me of Keislowski in his Polish phase, just about the highest praise I can give.
- paul2001sw-1
- Jan 15, 2014
- Permalink
- Turin_Horse
- Nov 16, 2014
- Permalink
As one of the most talented directors in modern cinema, Andrei zvyagintsev was known for his critically acclaimed debut, "the return," which won as many as 20 awards at major film festivals. Many have viewed his second film, "the banishment" as a let-down given the unusually high standard set by his first film. So, many fans of Andrei Zvyaginitsev including myself eagerly waited for his third film, "elena" to come out to see whether this young talented director can overcome his "sophomore jinx." Compared to "the return" in which every second is engaging and serves a purpose, "elena" doesn't quite have the riveting power of the former. I can't pinpoint why, but a few minutes into the movie, my emotion remains unprovoked and numbed. The long, still shots of the interior of the bourgeois house in the city center did not quite convey the sense of alienation that the director intended. As one critic comment, it feels rather claustrophobic. It wasn't until 30 minutes into the movie, the first meaningful, engaging scene appears when the couple starts arguing at the breakfast table about the future of the woman's son. Of course, we have to give credit to the director for not making this film into a superficial family drama and for extending into the social and political context where the portrayal of the stark contrast between the woman's son's dingy, run-down apartment in the shady suburb and the rich man's luxurious condo begs some deep questions. But it seems to me that the director tried to take on too many important issues and lost his focus. The identity and the background of the man's pretty daughter are not adequately explained. Again, one problem of this film seems to mirror that of "the banishment." It suffers from being excessively mysterious and lack of explanation. As usual, the cinematography of this film is beautiful, as his previous films. One shot that is particularly striking is the long shot of the industrial complex under the sunset near the end of film. It is an absolutely beautiful and powerful image. And the subsequent scene where a blackout occurred and the hand-held camera follows a group of violent Russian youth gangs including the woman's own son, in darkness dimly lit by the distant bonfire, is incredibly authentic and powerful. This reminded me of the beginning of the banishment; this is where I think the director excels at, being able to immediately establish a mood with a few simple sequences. Overall, the film "elena" shows flashes of brilliance that resemble the director's debut, "the return," but ultimately it suffers from inadequately developed characters, lack of coherence of scenes and a failure to integrate the different themes it tries to convey.
- slowboatmo
- Oct 9, 2011
- Permalink
After Zvyagintsev's first movie, "The Return", I desperately wanted to see more of his work. He made another movie that I couldn't find, and finally- "Elena". New Russia, few new rich, and not so new, many poor. The land of fake equality became a land of stunning disparity. And the same kind of ruthless, lacking conscience kind of person that thrived in communism, does ever so well in the pool of greed and self-absorption. It was always about money and power, anyway. Cruel world and cruel deeds. What would one do for those he or she loves, no matter how undeserving they are. Apparently everything, even kill. Human capacity for evil surpasses very few things, and the ability to justify evil tops everything else. Hence the world we live in. Very simple actually, but still beyond comprehension of billions.
- sergepesic
- Apr 5, 2014
- Permalink
The beautiful camera-work is not enough to redeem this utterly banal and empty story. The underlying message raises the old question of utilitarianism: is the happiness of the many more important than the wealth of a few? This is as deep as it gets and disappointment awaits at the end - is that all?
The main character's motivations are not entirely convincing. The only interesting character is the rich man's rebellious daughter. The rest are pawns in a mundane play full of tediously and pointlessly protracted scenes of everyday life.
Philip Glass returns with his equally banal and repetitive music, a five-minute repetition of one short motif.
The main character's motivations are not entirely convincing. The only interesting character is the rich man's rebellious daughter. The rest are pawns in a mundane play full of tediously and pointlessly protracted scenes of everyday life.
Philip Glass returns with his equally banal and repetitive music, a five-minute repetition of one short motif.
- fedaykin666
- May 13, 2012
- Permalink
Andrey Zvyagintsev's third film. His first film, The Return, made in 2003, is one of my favorite films of the previous decade (his sophomore feature, Banishment, never got distribution in the United States). I've been waiting forever to see something else by him. This is a huge disappointment, though. A very beautiful one, but still. It's very thin. Elena is a middle-aged woman married to an older man. She apparently stole him from his first wife (though their history isn't gone into deeply enough to know for sure). Elena wants him to lend money to her son and his family, who are having financial difficulties. Before he makes a decision about that, he has a non fatal heart attack. During his hospital stay, he reconnects with his estranged daughter from his first marriage. This strengthens his resolve not to help his stepson, which leads Elena to make a drastic decision. This film just takes forever with the set-up before it gets to any interesting plot development. The characters are mostly unlikeable and mostly two-dimensional. Even the lead, Elena, is fairly uncomplex. Actress Nadezhda Markina does well with her one big scene, but that's about it. Elena Lyadova, who plays Elena's step-daughter, has a couple of good moments, too, but she's not in the film enough to make an impression. There's one killer sequence that reminds one of the brilliance of The Return, but it feels like it's from a different movie (it applies to the main plot only metaphorically). All in all, this is a pretty but empty picture.
- wandereramor
- Aug 7, 2012
- Permalink
- writers_reign
- Nov 1, 2012
- Permalink
Sometimes downbeat but often a thought provoking Russian picture; concerning the central character (Elena) and her troubled family life. The issues and choices she has to both endure and subsequently execute, become the crux of the story. the immoral conclusion (incredibly) seems to be the most reasonable outcome and as blood is thicker than water, the ending deed seems as natural as it could ever possibly be. such slow burning tension comes as a welcome relief to the predictable crash, bang, wallop offered at the local multiplex. 'Elena' is actually a high quality thriller of an entirely different pace and it's a classic case of more drama, less action.
- RatedVforVinny
- Jan 1, 2019
- Permalink
It's complicated, right?
You've gotta appreciate the complexities presented here. Gotta want to cheer the psychological conundrums and emotional chaos stirred up by these quiet characters, perhaps the ultimate show-and-don't-tell ensemble.
You gotta marvel at any story that produces such conflict: The actions you abhor you're certain you might at least consider, the bad guys might be right -- except, no, they're not, except that you've gotta consider...
Ever-loving gray.
And like Zvyagintsev's perfectly poised "The Return," you can close your fist around the plot, and then carry it around with you for eternity.
But this time the utter minimalism of the film is less organic. This project and it's sparse dialogue, it's slow unraveling and deliberate, painstakingly slow stitching of scenes is tedious.
A slow build could've been haunting, but here it's so purposeful and showy that it's distracting and feels pretentious, as though Zvyagintsev is saying: "I've got such a fine story and I'm such a superior director, and you cannot have anything better to do than to look at my pictures, so I'm going to force you to focus on each frame for exactly one minute before I move on and insist you spend another minute studying the next frame too."
It's more a trip through a museum than a motion picture, with static scenes that take so long in spots that I wasn't sure if I'd encountered a technical problem, if the thing froze.
It's a different tact, sure. And I get that it's giving viewers the opportunity to observe the characters in their habitat without a lot of interference, that I'm being afforded the opportunity sleuth around their tasteful modern lives/crowded tenement lifestyle. The problem is that it's all spoon-fed so slowly that you find yourself starving for more nutrients.
And the inaction is uneven, because a burst of violence toward the end is apropos of almost nothing and is weirdly annoying.
When the film finally ends, you appreciate the symmetry, but you're not moved especially, having just taken in a mighty complex "meh."
And then, for the next few days, Elena will haunt you.
Like "Paranormal Activity" might have. Because it'll be hard to shake the feeling, as you complete the most mundane tasks around your home, that you're being recorded, that you might be part of a slow-moving, humane thriller.
So those slllow scenes you were so irritated with during the film suddenly have new resonance, and wouldn't you know it, that adds yet another layer of complexity.
You've gotta appreciate the complexities presented here. Gotta want to cheer the psychological conundrums and emotional chaos stirred up by these quiet characters, perhaps the ultimate show-and-don't-tell ensemble.
You gotta marvel at any story that produces such conflict: The actions you abhor you're certain you might at least consider, the bad guys might be right -- except, no, they're not, except that you've gotta consider...
Ever-loving gray.
And like Zvyagintsev's perfectly poised "The Return," you can close your fist around the plot, and then carry it around with you for eternity.
But this time the utter minimalism of the film is less organic. This project and it's sparse dialogue, it's slow unraveling and deliberate, painstakingly slow stitching of scenes is tedious.
A slow build could've been haunting, but here it's so purposeful and showy that it's distracting and feels pretentious, as though Zvyagintsev is saying: "I've got such a fine story and I'm such a superior director, and you cannot have anything better to do than to look at my pictures, so I'm going to force you to focus on each frame for exactly one minute before I move on and insist you spend another minute studying the next frame too."
It's more a trip through a museum than a motion picture, with static scenes that take so long in spots that I wasn't sure if I'd encountered a technical problem, if the thing froze.
It's a different tact, sure. And I get that it's giving viewers the opportunity to observe the characters in their habitat without a lot of interference, that I'm being afforded the opportunity sleuth around their tasteful modern lives/crowded tenement lifestyle. The problem is that it's all spoon-fed so slowly that you find yourself starving for more nutrients.
And the inaction is uneven, because a burst of violence toward the end is apropos of almost nothing and is weirdly annoying.
When the film finally ends, you appreciate the symmetry, but you're not moved especially, having just taken in a mighty complex "meh."
And then, for the next few days, Elena will haunt you.
Like "Paranormal Activity" might have. Because it'll be hard to shake the feeling, as you complete the most mundane tasks around your home, that you're being recorded, that you might be part of a slow-moving, humane thriller.
So those slllow scenes you were so irritated with during the film suddenly have new resonance, and wouldn't you know it, that adds yet another layer of complexity.
- mirjamswanson
- Mar 15, 2014
- Permalink
From the very first frame of this film I was drawn in. The filmmakers did something amazing that I am not sure I even understand completely. It is absolutely incredible how it works. This is what I am talking about: the film starts out very slow. It is several minutes before we even see any action of any kind. People slowly begin to wake up and go about their day.
It seems like it would be very boring to watch. But it is not at all. In fact it is quite the opposite. It is completely mesmerizing and intriguing. It is done in such a way that I have never seen before, although I could not even begin to describe to you what is good about it. It is just a pure hypnotic joy to watch this slow-moving drama as we very slowly get into the lives of these characters. It is truly spellbinding.
It seems like it would be very boring to watch. But it is not at all. In fact it is quite the opposite. It is completely mesmerizing and intriguing. It is done in such a way that I have never seen before, although I could not even begin to describe to you what is good about it. It is just a pure hypnotic joy to watch this slow-moving drama as we very slowly get into the lives of these characters. It is truly spellbinding.
- mrpotatochip
- Oct 28, 2018
- Permalink
I recently saw this at the 1012 Palm Springs International Film Festival. Directed by Andrei Zvyaginsev who co-wrote the screenplay with Oleg Negin this is the story of Elena (Nadezhda Markina) who is the wife of a wealthy Russina Businessman Vladimer (Audrey Smirnov) a sixty-something couple living in a beautiful apartment in an affluent part of town. They've only been married a couple of years and Elena is more of a live-in housekeeper to Vladimer than a equal partner spouse. Vladimer has an estranged daughter Katerina (Elena Lyadova) while Elena has a son Sasha (Igor Ogurtsov). Sasha lives a trailer trash kind of existence, always out of work and living in a small apartment with his wife (Eugenia Konushkina) and their ne'er-do-well son Sergei (Alex Rozin). Elena wants to help out her family and resorts to criminal acts to do so after Vladimer refuses to let them sponge off him. Great production design by Audrey Poncictrov and his art direction team with wonderful cinematography by Mikail Kirchman and good editing from Anna Mass the film also features a wonderful score by noted international film composer Phillip Glass. There is no middle class in this film as it centers around an upper class couple and a lower class family and touches upon the homeless. The film is slow however and elicits little sympathy for the characters. The central character, who you like at first, you end up not liking. The wealthy husband and his daughter, who you don't like at first, you kind of end up liking but the daughter lets you down and the son and his family, you never end up liking. You really end up disliking everyone in this film even though the father and daughter have a moment of reconciliation. Despite some good acting and a technically well made film this really never gets off the ground. I don't see how it received a Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. I would give it a generous 6.5 out of 10.
This movie features some really impressive cinematography, with distinctive long single shots without edits often for several minutes. Excellent acting from all the key players, and especially the lead. The plot for me though really let this down and it lost my attention badly by the halfway point. I was left with the feeling there was a lot going on (constant background television talk, references to the Russian Orthodox Church) that went over my head.
There may well have been a moral/political subplot here that eastern European viewers would pick up immediately, but I just couldn't grasp it.
There may well have been a moral/political subplot here that eastern European viewers would pick up immediately, but I just couldn't grasp it.
- lrishJoe78
- Dec 8, 2012
- Permalink
While I enjoyed seeing Russia through the eyes of a citizen, and the dreary streets and the understandable fear of the military lifestyle, this movie was way too slow and full of inconsequential things. There are a lot of background Voices from radio and television that added nothing to the plot. Sometimes the music would escalate and you,d think "Ah, now something will happen" but it wouldn't. it is a one theme movie and too much of the scenes are static with no underlying meaning.The acting was good and the filming okay. I did not understand the relationship between the father and daughter, I guess that was a Russian thing. I didn't really like anyone a whole lot ,maybe the main character,so didn't really Care what happened to them. We ended up fast forwarding the movie and didn't miss a lot
- maggieflaherty
- Mar 8, 2013
- Permalink
Middle-aged Elena, a former nurse, leads a comfortable and orderly life after marrying an elderly and wealthy retired businessman she looked after. He has the money. Both Elena and her husband have children from former marriages, and neither agrees with the way their partner's children have been brought up. Elena's son, Seryozha, is unemployed and has a growing family, including a son who is trying to get to university to avoid the army. Elena repeatedly asks her husband for money to help her grandson, but her husband is reluctant to help them, stating that such lazy people should look after themselves. Elena's husband suffers a heart attack and becomes weaker. She is thus given power and the possibility to make a choice between her husband, whom she loves in a way, and her son's family, who rely on her.
A film about class difference in Moscow, the tensions between the haves and the have nots. About the power of money and the power of blood ties. About deceit, and how fragile human morals can be. Are there any circumstances under which you should sacrifice yourself or somebody else for the benefit of a larger number of people?
Elegantly filmed and well acted. Beautiful music by Philip Glass.
A film about class difference in Moscow, the tensions between the haves and the have nots. About the power of money and the power of blood ties. About deceit, and how fragile human morals can be. Are there any circumstances under which you should sacrifice yourself or somebody else for the benefit of a larger number of people?
Elegantly filmed and well acted. Beautiful music by Philip Glass.
- juan_palmero2010
- Oct 23, 2012
- Permalink