Dovlatov
Directed by:
Aleksey German Jr.Screenplay:
Aleksey German Jr.Cinematography:
Łukasz ŻalComposer:
Andrey SurotdinovCast:
Milan Maric, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Danila Kozlovsky, Elena Lyadova, Anton Shagin, Piotr Gasowski, Maria Järvenhelmi, Kati Outinen, Artur Beschastnyy (more)VOD (1)
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Leningrad, November 1971. The city is shrouded in fog. Another anniversary of the revolution is being celebrated, but the country is not making any progress – politically, economically or culturally. Sergei has first-hand experience of this stasis. The young writer’s manuscripts are regularly rejected by the official media; his view on things and people is not desired. Others are experiencing similar problems, one of them is his friend Joseph Brodsky whom the state forces into exile. Sergei is however determined to stay and lead a normal life with his wife Lena and daughter Katya. He wants to write about discovering reality: about shipyard workers, or the construction of the metro where one day the bodies of thirty children killed during the Second World War are uncovered. (Berlinale)
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Russian culture has always functioned as a social forum - and Dovlatov is no exception. The contrast between the very literal dialogues and the typically "Germanic" mise-en-scène, this time captured in suffocating detail, is somewhat irritating - as if Dovlatov was as inaccessible as an overly rhetorical work. A spectator unfamiliar with the reality may get lost in that fog and flood of fragments. But if you're at least a little interested in the relationship between writers and power in Russia, German's film is chic and captivating, albeit a somewhat protracted spectacle with a great protagonist who struggles with misunderstanding, inner weakness and the temptation to sell himself to the regime.
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Photo © Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary
