Sisters

Colour, 35mm
Russia, 2001, 85 min
Section: East of the West

Synopsis

Sergei Bodrov Jr´s directorial debut is a female variant of the cult film Brother in which he played the dauntless killer Danila Bagrov. The heroine “without fear or reproach” is thirteen-year-old Svyeta who is resolutely preparing for a career as a sniper. Unexpectedly, she has to take care of her despised eight-year-old sister Dina. Her father Alik, after being released from prison, is being blackmailed by his former gang who intend to kidnap Dina. As the threat to their lives increases, Svyeta takes Dina off to a rural settlement and finds the means for them to survive. The sisters gradually become dependent on each other and together must face a highly perilous situation. Their battles with the mafia and complex relationships with the police are set against the background of the bizarre world of modern rural Russia. Alik also tries to resolve his family’s predicament and finally, now with the financial means to do so, takes his family abroad. Svyeta, however, rejects this offer of an easy life in the West and returns to her grandmother and her preferred sniper’s existence. The Cottbus Film Festival is honoured to present Sisters, awarded the Ecumenical Jury Prize at Cottbus 2OOl, in the East of the West section Karlovy Vary IFF.

About the director

Sergei Bodrov Jr. (b. 1971) attended a French school, after which he studied art history at Moscow University where he defended his dissertation “Architecture in Venetian Painting” (1994). He worked as a teacher and then was a commentator for the popular TV programme View (1997-2000). He was awarded the State Prize and the Nika Russian Film Academy award for his role as the soldier Zhilin in the film by his father Sergei Bodrov Sr. Prisoner of the Mountains (1996). He won a huge following for his role as Danila Bagrov in the cult films by Alexei Balabanov Brother and Brother 2. He was given main roles in Wargnier’s film East-Ouest (l999)and the British film by Pawel Pawlikovski Stringer. He appeared in Quickie, again directed by his father, who also provided the story for his feature debut Sisters (2001).