Dinara Drukarova Movies
- 1998
Alexlei Balabanov (Brother) directed this period film, set in turn-of-the-century St. Petersburg, where a middle-class family and an upper-class family both become intertwined with pornographic photographer Johann (Sergei Makovetsky). Dr. Stasov (Alexandr Mezentsev) treats railroad engineer Radlov (Igor Shibanov). Johann takes an interest in the doctor's maid (Tatyana Polonskaya) and Radlov's daughter (Dinara Drukarova), Johann's sister Grunya (Darya Lesnikova) is Radlov's mistress, Johann is thwarted in his lust for Lisa -- until Grunya takes over Radlov's estate after the engineer's death. Filmed with a tint to resemble sepia photographs of the period. Shown in the Directors Fortnight section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sergei Makovetsky, Dinara Drukarova, (more)
This gentle French comedy has a meandering plotline as it traces the exploits of a young man recognized as a the son of a star. The main protagonist is 23-year old Harvey who works as the guide for a group of Georgian singers who have a Paris gig. He is interested in Dinara, the 18-year old interpreter for the group. While in a restaurant, they encounter Marco Garciano who tells them he played the small lad in Crin blanc, a classic French film. He is really a half-time chauffeur and con-artist. Marco tells Harvey that he is the son of Gascogne, the father of the New Wave, and close friend and inspiration to many directors between 1958 and 1962. Marco tries to prove his point by taking Harvey and Dinara to meet some former French film impresarios. They see Alexandra Stewart and Bernadette Lafont. They also meet Claude Chabrol while he eats lunch. They meet many more including director Michel Deville. All they meet are convinced that Harvey is indeed Gascogne's son. Many of the female stars claim to be his mother. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Grégoire Colin, (more)
- 1994
In this documentary Russian director Vitali Kanevski takes to the streets of St. Petersburg and Moscow to interview street kids. He is surprised to encounter Pavel Nazarov, an impoverished youth who starred in two of Kanevski's best known films. The director asks his subjects direct questions about their crimes. They are equally direct in their responses. Life on the streets is violent and their crimes range from petty theft to murder. Despite the danger, most of the people interviewed preferred it to traditional work. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Beginning with perestroika and reaching its peak after the demise of the Soviet Union, pessimistic youth sub-culture films abounded in Russia and the former republics. Anguely V Rayou is another example of these "youth without future" films. Based on the novel Two Notebooks by Piotr Kojevnikov, the action takes place in the Leningrad of 1975, when the "stagnation" era is at its peak. Two teenagers, Micha and Galia, are experiencing a slow death in the slums of the city. Galia's aunt is going crazy in her desperation. Micha's mother is killed by a drunk. One of their friends has committed suicide. These kids are typical of a generation wasted by alcohol and misfortune. Some are bound to become outcasts, some will be destroyed, and others will be sacrificed in Afghanistan. The title is ironic, as there is neither paradise nor angels in this story. It comes from an expression the heroine keeps using: "You drink one shot and you're immediately like the angels in paradise." The film is a drama that at certain moments produces brief reliefs of laughter. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Konstantin Gaekha, Yelena Svintsova, (more)
- 1991
This is the second installment of a three-part series of autobiographical films about the director's life. The first, which won various awards for its maker, was entitled Zamri Oumi Voskresni and was later retitled Zari, Umri, Vokresni ("Freeze-Die-Come to Life). At the end of that film, set at the conclusion of World War II, the young Valerka was striving hard to overcome the inertia of just getting by, along with his sometime friend Galiya. In this one, he is adjusting to Galiya's death and is back in school and is living with his mother, a prostitute. After a girl at the school is found to have been gang-raped, the headmaster chooses Valerka to be one of the scapegoats, though he had nothing to do with the deed. The punishment seems mild enough, he was simply expelled from school. However, after quarrelling with his mother about the incident, he takes to the road, and discovers a society so bleak, degraded and hopeless that it is a wonder he remained alive. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pavel Nazarov, Dinara Drukarova, (more)
- 1990
This Russian film was originally released as Zamri Oumi Voskresni. In the years following WW II, gulag youth Valerka (Pavel Nazarov) and his prostitute mother (Yelena Popova) try to make the best of what little life has to offer them. They can expect no solace from the provisional government, which seems more concerned in promoting Stalinism than in the well-being of the citizenry. Hoping to escape his dead-end existence, Valerka goes into the tea-selling business, forming a shaky alliance with off-and-on friend Galiya (Dinara Drukarova). Their efforts to stave off harsh reality come to naught, however. The Valerka-Galiya scenes are placed in context with the dismal day-to-day lives of their neighbors, who, unlike the younger characters, have pretty much given up fighting the good fight. Director Vitaly Kanevski wisely films Freeze-Die-Come to Life in black and white, befitting the bleakness of his subject matter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dinara Drukarova, Pavel Nazarov, (more)
