Elena

Colour, 35 mm
Russia, 2011, 109 min
Section: Horizons

Synopsis

Elena (the outstanding Nadezhda Markina) is a timid, submissive housewife of humble origins. In contrast, her husband Vladimir, whom she married late in life, is very well off. When Vladimir becomes ill and the financial security of her son and grandson is left hanging in the balance, Elena decides to take action. As in his previous work, the celebrated Russian director’s third film forces the viewer to reflect upon issues of life and death. Zvyagintsev says of Elena: "Deep within, every human being is desperately alone. Loneliness is the beginning and the end, the leitmotif which threads its way through the life of every person.” The movie’s visual side was entrusted to the director’s regular cinematographer Mikhail Krichman, whose intriguing, carefully composed shots, together with Philip Glass’s unsettling music, make for a rewarding experience for the audience. The film rounded off the Cannes Un Certain Regard programme this year, winning its Special Jury Prize.

About the director

Andrey Zvyagintsev (b. 1964, Novosibirsk) graduated from the Novosibirsk Actors School (1984) and from the GITIS acting faculty in Moscow (1990). He was involved as an actor in several stage projects and appeared in episodic roles in TV series and also in films, such as Shirli-Myrli (1995, dir. Vladimir Menshov, screened at Karlovy Vary in 1996). In 2003 he debuted with the feature film The Return (Vozvrashchenie), which won the Golden Lion at the Venice IFF and was awarded the title European Discovery of the Year at the European Film Awards in 2003. His next film The Banishment (Izgnanie) was selected for the Cannes competition in 2007, where the actor in the lead role, Konstantin Lavronenko, won the Best Actor award. Elena is his third feature.