Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by afilado (A) on October 17, 2006 at 11:19:27

"An unexpected encounter between three strangers in a Moscow bar prompts outlandish tales of their prominent careers......far removed from the mundane day-to-day routine. Once they depart the late-night session of spinning stories, each returns to their harsh realities in a dark and industrial Russian landscape. Ilya Khrzhanovsky's controversial film explores existential ideas about repetition with a surreal and disturbing cinematic eye". (Taken from Netrflix synopsis.)

This is a film that no doubt will present many challenges and problems for the viewer. It depicts aspects of Russian life - urban and rural - with a visceral abandon that is sometimes just amazing to watch. It is one which requires of me a simple and dedicated observation. It is such a personal statement that serious criticism must be conducted very carefully and thoughtfully; casual cricism suspended.

Mixing professional and amateur actors into a profound disintergration of order and civility the director finally allows the human spirit to rescue itself in spite of itself. Maybe.

Big, messy, colorful, desperate, constant - Russian.