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Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Andrey Zvyagintsev could not be more blatant in his symbolism in this simmering blend of domestic drama and police procedural. Desperate to make a fresh start with new partners, Muscovites Boris (Alexey Rozin) and Zhenya (Maryana Spivak) seek a divorce. But, such is their self-absorption that their 12-year-old son (Matvey Novikov) is almost forgotten amid the recriminations and neither parent seems particularly distraught when he suddenly disappears. The ensuing search dominates, but the result matters less than the response of those involved. Zvyagintsev elicits a chilling degree of joylessness from a fine cast, but edges towards chauvinism in his depiction of some of the female characters, who are shrill, vain or both. Moreover, his critique of a bourgeoisie lacking in empathy and unwilling to learn from past mistakes feels as portentous as it is perceptive. But Zvyagintsev is a master of mood and teams imposingly with production designer Andrey Ponkratov, cinematographer Mikhail Krichman and editor Anna Mass to draw the audience into his film with the assurance of an Antonioni or a Haneke.

How to watch

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Credits

Cast

rolename
ZhenyaMaryana Spivak
BorisAlexey Rozin
AlyoshaMatvey Novikov
MashaMarina Vasilyeva
AntonAndris Keishs

Crew

rolename
DirectorAndrey Zvyagintsev

Details

Theatrical distributor
Altitude
Released on
2018-02-09
Languages
Russian | Portuguese | Uzbek
Guidance
swearing, sex scenes
Available on
DVD and Blu-ray
Formats
Colour
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