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Around the world in May-ty days: Russia.
Needs a second watch and deserves one too.
Elena was engrossing. -
30 Countries in 30 Days Film #2 - Russia
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A slow burn through and through, but a very powerful and very interesting portrayal of marriage, family, and the social life through well-defined characters. Excellent at letting small actions drive a much bigger plot.
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First premiering in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival (the section which presents original and different works which seek International recognition), where it won the Special Jury Prize, this third feature film from the Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev (after his highly-acclaimed 2003 debut feature ‘The Return’ and the 2007 drama ‘The Banishment’) ultimately proves a meticulous, intimate and beautifully composed study of loyalty, reflection and sense of character.
‘Elena’ is ultimately a slow-burning, nuanced and…
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It's remarkable how such shocking things happen in this film and yet the audience is kept so completely detached from it all. You, the viewer, are not drawn into the plot, you are an observer. And I think that's what works best about this film.
The characters on their own are not very interesting at all. It's the relationships that unfold between each of the characters that is what engages viewers. The plot is very slow and drawn out, and…
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Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev ('The Return') and soundtracked with a singular Philip Glass symphony, 'Elena' is a slow burning drama that follows the devilish actions a shallow mind commits in order to solve a family predicament.
Its effective use of narrative space gives an insight into the mundanity of the characters lives, allows emotional situations to be realised, and allows it's multiple themes to be reflected upon. -
Gorda hija de puta traicionera.
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(Zyvangintsev, 2011) ELENA is a slow (maybe too slow) and understated (probably too understated) female melodrama with thriller overtones. I respected it but didn't find it terribly compelling. Still, I admired the attention to detail, and Zyvangintsev's willingness to let scenes play at their own tempo.
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Arthausa un festivālu kino cienītāji būs sajūsmā, pārējie žāvāsies un miegosies. Tāds tipisks arthausa manierē uzņemts darbs ar ļooooti gariem kadriem, gaismuspēlēm, lēnu aktierspēli un vēl lēnāku sižeta virzību. Vienīgais kas tā pa īstam man šajā gabalā patika, tā ir Filipa Glāsa mūzika, bet tas nav rādītājs, jo man šī komponista mūzika patīk jau gadiem ilgi. Pēc bezgalīgā pirmā kadra ar putnu galvenajā lomā, sakās darbība. Pavisam parastas, pusmūža krievu sievietes Jeļenas ikdiena.
Nu cik nu parastas, ņemot vērā, ka…
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Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Elena is a meticulously crafted parable of post-Soviet Russia in the guise of a coldly detached thriller-cum-character study. The titular Elena is a dutiful wife and nurse to her rich, older and ill husband. However, fearing the loss of her inheritance to her estranged daughter-in-law, Elena, will go to extreme lengths to protect her and her feckless son’s future. Director, Andrey Zvyagintsev, was responsible for the exceptional The Return and less successful, The Banishment, and I’m pleased to…
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Andrei Zvyagintsev retrata ambos espectros socioeconómicos de un sistema por demás inequitativo, mediante un pausado, por momentos confuso (lleno de ambigüedades), y violento (a su manera) thriller con tintes noir. Por un lado, el hombre adinerado, quien no tiene mucho de que preocuparse, a excepción de una hija que vive a expensas de su fortuna. Por el otro, su nueva mujer, Elena (magnifica Nadezhda Markina), quien proviene del lado pobre, el arrabal ruso; y a quien a pesar de vivir…
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Ίσως το πιο εντυπωσιακό στον Σβιάγκιντσεφ είναι ότι παρόλο που οι μικρές του ιστορίες συμβολίζουν μεγάλα πράγματα, οι χαρακτήρες του δεν είναι απλά σύμβολα, είναι ζωντανοί καταλαβαίνεις ποιοι είναι, την ιστορία τους και τα διλήμματα τους. Ακόμα και αν το ζητούμενο είναι η αναγωγή στην κοινωνική ανισότητα που ξυπνάει ανθρωποφαγα ένστικτα και διαλύει προφάσεις ηθικής γιατί κατά βάση είμαστε όσο πολιτισμένοι μας επιβάλλουν οι κοινωνικοί κανόνες να είμαστε, η ταινία λειτουργεί τελεία και ως συναρπαστικό existential thriller για το που μπορείς να φτάσεις για την επιβίωση. Πολύ μεγάλος σκηνοθέτης εν τέλει. Φοβερή και η Μάρκινα.