Ispytanie

In a modest house the midst of the Kazakh steppe lives a father together with his daughter. When he sets off for work she is left behind, the object of desire for two quite different, and somewhat awkward men. In the evenings she takes care of her weary father. In Alexander Kott's ISPYTANIE not a single word is spoken, yet this is no silent film: Precisely the sounds and the music play an important role. From the outset Kott celebrates the simplicity of a secluded life; His wonderfully illuminated and composed imagery allows the scenery and change of seasons to take centre stage. The idyllic scenes are deceptive however; Slowly but surely signs of Soviet interference appear in this seemingly timeless film, the visit of a Russian patrol marking the point of no return. The girl discovers a barbed wire fence, which hides a forbidden zone in the middle of the desert.

ISPYTANIE, a visually stunning and poetic work, sheds light on a dark chapter of Soviet military history which took place short after the Second World War. Only in its very last minutes does this powerful production disclose its secret however, the shock-factor running all the more deeper for it having been preceded by a dreamlike eighty-five minutes. At this year's Kinotavr Film Festival in Sochi the film was deservedly awarded the Grand Prix as well as the Award for Best Screenplay.