International Lens Film Series
Elena
Monday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 pm
Presented by: Jason Strudler, Mellon Assistant Professor of Russian.
Russia (2011) Dir: Andrey Zvyagintsev. Sixty-ish spouses Vladimir and Elena uneasily share a palatial Moscow apartment. He is a virile, wealthy businessman; she is his dowdy former nurse who has clearly -married up.- Estranged from his own wild-child daughter, Vladimir openly despises his wife-s freeloading son and family. When a sudden illness and an unexpected reunion threaten the dutiful housewife-s potential inheritance, she must hatch a desperate plan. Masterfully crafted cinema which features evocative, Hitchcockian music by Philip Glass. Elena is a subtly stylish exploration of crime, punishment and human nature. Russian with English subtitles. Unrated. 109 minutes. DVD. Partial funding provided by the Department of German & Slavic Languages.