Vladimir A. Ilyin Movies

In this somewhat opaque film, representative a Russian cinematic genre which could be called "existential drama," the story of a charming man who failed to live up to his own expectations, and whose life consequently also failed, is told by his son. This film contains many references to the works of director Marlen Khutsiyev and to his long-suppressed film July Rain. In the story, Lev (Alexander Abdulov) is the premier charmer of a small social group in Leningrad. As it opens, he has taken a dare that, if he will swim the Neva River, he will bed the lovely Lena (Kseniya Kachalina). He swims the river, and wins the dare. Later, when a member of the group is picked up by the secret police, Lev disappears for a while, apparently guilt-striken at having betrayed a friend. Eventually, he dives into the Neva once more: it is not clear whether he intends to commit suicide, or this is an allegorical image to indicate that he has passed out of the story. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Viktor is a highly successful and wealthy actor. For years, he has sought distraction from his inner poverty through his relationships with women. In this movie, his marriage to an emotionally overwrought woman comes under strain when he hops into bed with a teen-aged adorer. However, this isn't the relationship his wife should worry about. The actor has a far more sinister relationship with a plain, hard-faced woman who expresses her deep contempt for the actor. The more she does so, the more he loves her; the more he loves her, the more contempt she shows. Eventually, he comes to see that these relationships are mirrors of his inner life -- which arouses him to despair, as he cannot bear to own up to this. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Alia (Yvgenya Dobrovolskaya) is a single mother who has no home and no money. Caring for her infant is almost impossible, and she feels that she is doing the best thing for her child and for herself when she abandons it in a public toilet, where it is sure to be found and brought to an orphanage. Later, however, she is overcome with guilt, and a priest suggests she get a job in an orphanage in order to deal with. She succeeds in finding one, and is horrified to discover the abusive and threadbare circumstances the children endure there. Rather than assuaging her guilt, thanks to this job she now has a serious case of righteous anger to cope with as well. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi