Euphoria

Colour, 35 mm
Russia, 2006, 74 min
Section: Horizons

Synopsis

A story of the spontaneous passion and tragic outcome of a love affair between a man and a woman, set in the parched, infinite Steppe, cut through by the majestic current of the river Don. The beautiful and inhospitable natural environment appears to anticipate the situation and destiny of the lovers, who are unable to cope with the suddenness and strength of their feelings. The young married woman cannot see a way out of her solitude, and the young man is aware of nothing except his enchantment and extreme longing. The lovers become prisoners of their own subconscious instinct, they do not know how to ennoble it through warmth, how to nurture their relationship. Nor do they acknowledge the intervention of a third, the woman’s husband who, instead of remaining calm, is driven to elemental brutality. The film, regarded in Russia as the most daring film of the year, is intriguing for its unusual visual and musical images depicting an almost Classical type of tragedy. The celebrated stage director does not respect ordinary film approaches or established genre conventions but, in a highly inventive way, he stamps his own hallmark on the magical language of film.

About the director

Ivan Vyrypaev (b. 1974) after studying theatre in Irkutsk (1995) established himself as an actor, director and dramatist whose plays are also performed abroad: July (Iyul), Genesis No. 2 (Bytiye No.2), Oxygen (Kislorod), Valentine’s Day (Valentinov dyen), The City Where I Am (Gorod, gdye ya) and Dreams (Sny). He has written five screenplays and the book Thirteen Texts Written in the Autumn (13 textov napisannych osenyu). He has won a number of prestigious awards for his stage works, among them the Presidential Council Award for his “Contribution to Russian Literature”. His debut film Euphoria was awarded at the Kinotavr FF in Sochi, it also received a Golden Lion from the Independent Young Jury in Venice, and Best Film and the FIPRESCI prize at the Molodist IFF in Kiev. It also won the Grand Prix at the Warsaw IFF, the Nika “Newcomer of the Year” award, and the White Elephant for Best Debut from the Russian Film Critics Guild.