jelena
elena
The middle-aged Elena a former nurse, is married to her former patient Vladimir, who belongs to the new upper middle-class of Russian society: he owns an apartment in a condominium in central Moscow with a whole range of conveniences. Both have children from previous marriages: Vladimir has a daughter who cares little for her father; Elena has a son who is unemployed and lives with his wife and his two children on the mother’s meagre pension, which she delivers to their gritty suburban flat.
One day, Vladimir suffers a heart attack, and after recovering he decides to make a will in which he plans to leave everything – including the apartment – to his daughter. Elena worries about the future of her son and his family and makes a bold decision to ensure the future welfare of her blood relatives over the man she cares for and loves.
The director’s third film marks a refreshing departure from his previous two films, the much-acclaimed Vozvrashchenie (2003, Cottbus 2004) and Izgnanie (2007, Cottbus 2007). JELENA has a concise setting in present-day Moscow, and – in an extraordinary departure for the director – is preoccupied with social issues. The wonderful cinematography brings out the sterile and cold atmosphere of the urban residence, which contrasts with the cluttered and cramped flat of Elena’s son. BiB
35mm | Farbe / colour
Oleg Negin, Andrey Zvyagintsev
Mikhail Krichman
Andrey Dergachev, Stas Krechkov
Vasily Gritskov
Philip Glass
Andrey Smirnov, Nadezhda Markina, Elena Lyadova, Alexey Rozin, Evgenia Konushkina
Pyramide International
Rue du Chevalier de Saint George 5
75008 Paris
France
Tel : +33.1.429 602 20
Fax: +33.1.402 005 51
Andrey Zvyagintsev - born 1964 in Novosibirsk, Russia. Studied acting at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts in Moscow. Worked from 1992-2000 as an actor, later taking up directing. His debut feature film Vozvrashcheniye (2003) won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
VOZVRASHCHENIYE (2003, Cottbus 2004)
IZGNANIE (2007, Cottbus 2007)