Galina Petrova Movies
Russian filmmaker Andrei Zvyagintsev makes his feature-film debut with the bleak psychological drama Vozvrashchenie (The Return). Younger brother Ivan (Ivan Dobronravov) and older brother Andrei (Vladimir Garin) live in a small town with their mother (Natalya Vdovina). One summer, the brothers are surprised by the arrival of their long-lost absent father (Konstantin Lavronenko). Although the boys only know him from an old photograph, he still orders them to accompany him on a fishing trip. The stern father then puts his two sons through a series of endurance tests. Doting Andrei is quick to cooperate, while stubborn Ivan is more reluctant to trust him. Ivan wants to know where he's been and what he's up to. After they travel by boat to a deserted island, the father gets even more mysterious. The Return won the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival in 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ivan Dobronravov, Vladimir Garin, (more)
- 1995
Veteran director Georgi Daneliya proves that he's still in good form with this offbeat romantic comedy. When Oleg Chagin (Kirill Pirogov) learns that back home his fiancée Lena has married another man, he quits his job in Siberia and rushes to Moscow. The film depicts his trials and tribulations while attempting to win her back. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirill Pirogov, Polina Kutepova, (more)
- 1991
Reviewers considered this film to be more of a collection of raw material for a more tightly crafted film than a film in itself. It consists of footage shot by the Russian dissident (now an Israeli citizen) Moisei Kalik before 1971, when he left Russia, as well as more recent material. It combines autobiographical material with commentary on Russian history and clips covering the evolution of Russian cinema. The autobiographical material starts by showing a rebellious boy who is eventually exiled to one of the gulags. When he is freed, he enters a state-run cinematography school. There again, his rebelliousness and insistence on speaking the truth get him into trouble. The director's own story is broken up with newreel footage, clips from his films, and clips from Russian classics. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alla Balter, Borislav Brondukov, (more)
- 1988
The title refers to the deployment of time-honored gangster methods in a brand-new new setting. Otherwise, Deja Vu is chock full of startling surprises. Set in 1925, the storyline moves with ease from Chicago to Russia and back again. A Windy-City hitman is sent to Odessa to kill a mob informant. The victim-to-be is an enterprising soul, taking full advantage of a newly opened shipping line serving Chicago, Odessa and Constantinople. He jealously guards his smuggling operation by hiring his own hitman. The plot device of Mafia tactics being exercised in Russia is disturbingly prescient, given the current mob-controlled activities in the former Soviet Union. This 1989 Deja Vu bears no relation to the 1984 horror film of the same name. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerzy Sztur, Vladimir Golovin, (more)
