Jelena
Directed by:
Andrey ZvyagintsevCinematography:
Mikhail KrichmanComposer:
Philip GlassCast:
Nadezhda Markina, Elena Lyadova, Andrey Smirnov, Andrey Zolotukhin, Yaroslav Zhalnin, Igor Ogurtsov, Igor Yurtaev, Yuriy Borisov, Vasiliy Prokopev (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
Elena and Vladimir are an older couple, they come from different backgrounds. Vladimir is a wealthy and cold man, Elena comes from a modest milieu and is a docile wife. They have met late in life and each one has children from previous marriages. Elena's son is unemployed, unable to support his own family and he is constantly asking Elena for money. Vladimir's daughter is a careless young woman who has a distant relationship with her father. A heart attack puts Vladimir in hospital, where he realizes that his remaining time is limited. A brief but somehow tender reunion with his daughter leads him to make an important decision: she will be the only heiress of his wealth. Back home he announces it to Elena. Her hopes to financially help her son suddenly vanish. The shy and submissive housewife then comes up with a plan to give her son and grandchildren a real chance in life. (Pyramide Distribution)
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Reviews (2)
A very harsh portrait of Russian reality of everyday life, which at the end knocks the audience off their feet. But only if they accept the incredibly dragged direction from the beginning, which shows every little detail to create the right atmosphere until it gets lost in endlessly long shots. Anyhow, this movie is quite a faithful portrait of reality. You will tell yourself that some people have such fates that even a screenwriter couldn’t come up with that. Yelena is an exception.
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A banal story, a bad script, and a cultivated directorial concept. Zvjagincev deeply disappointed me with his inability to tell the emotional side of the story alongside the visual - it’s no wonder, as the story is so naïve and flat that there is no room for emotions. Based on the magnificent The Return, the director deeply disappointed me. Elena is not lousy, but it is a very mediocre film.
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