The title summarizes well the situation. Splendid by the landscape, the actors’ play; dark by the disquieting atmosphere of the savage Russian décor and by the relations between the characters; mysterious by the role of the father, his actions and thoughts.
In fact, man doesn’t understand a lot at the end and that would be annoying for a less visually successful movie but here, the setting is so beautiful and the actors so touching that it doesn’t matter. So man left the cinema with the desire of knowing the truth that the movie artfully doesn’t explain, in such a way that man continues to think about it long after having reached the open-air again !
So a movie to watch unless you are afraid of being mentally tortured during the following hours. |
In contemporary Russia young brothers Vanya and Andrey have grown a deep attachment to each other to make up for their fatherless childhood. Running home after a fight with neighborhood kids the boys are shocked to discover their father has returned after a twelve year absence. With their mother's uneasy blessing Vanya and Andrey set out on what they believe will be a fishing vacation with their taciturn father.
The budget of the film remains a secret, though in an interview the director and the producer hinted that it was well under $500,000. Director Andrei Zvyagintsev also mentioned that the producers made their money back even before they went with the movie to Venice where it was "discovered".
