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Elena

Russia

2011

109 Min
Color
2.35:1
Russian
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
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DIR Andrei Zvyagintsev

EXEC Aleksandr Rodnyansky, Sergey Melkumov

SCR Andrei Zvyagintsev, Oleg Negin

DP Mikhail Krichman

CAST Andrei Smirnov, Nadezhda Markina, Yelena Lyadova, Alexey Rozin, Vassili Michkov, Igor Ogurtsov, Anna Gulyarenko, Yevgenia Shevchenko, Oksana Semenova, Rustam Akhmadeev, Yuri Borisov

ED Anna Mass

SOUND Andrey Dergachev, Stas Krechkov

Cannes (Un Certain Regard): Un Certain Regard Jury Prize, Karlovy Vary (Horizons), Melbourne (International Panorama), Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema), Vancouver (Cinema of Our Time), Helsinki (Spotlight), London (Cinema Europa), Abu Dhabi (Narrative Feature Competition), Ghent (Competition): Best Film, São Paulo (International Perspective), Sundance (Spotlight), CPH PIX (Front Runners)

Synopsis

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. –Cannes Film Festival

Director

Original

Andrei Zvyagintsev

Andrey Petrovich Zvyagintsev (Russian: Андре́й Петро́вич Звя́гинцев) (born February 6, 1964) is a Russian film director and actor. He is mostly known for his 2003 film The Return, which won him a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

Zvyagintsev was born in Novosibirsk, Siberia. At the age of 20 in 1984 he graduated from the drama school in Novosibirsk as an actor. Since 1986 he has lived in Moscow where he continued his studies at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts until 1990. From 1992 to 2000 he worked as an actor for film and theater. In 2000 he began to work for the TV station REN TV and directed three episodes of the television series The Black Room.

In 2003, he directed his first feature film The Return, which received several awards, including a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. His second feature film The Banishment premiered at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a Palme d’Or. n 2008, he directed a short segment for the film New York… read more

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João Pedro Tomás

20Mar13

Near perfect, complete experience. True cinema. Zvyagintsev had already proven himself capable with THE RETURN, yet with ELENA, he exceeded expectations. What a cinéaste.

rado likes this

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Andrea Lazzaroni

5Jan13

4 / 5

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Francisco R.

31Dec12

It begins the way many traditional japanese dramas of the 40's and 50's began, but the class conflicts and family preocupations of yore are given a post-modern perspective where the moral standpoint of the main character becomes increasingly faded and volatile, to the point where her decisions are not so easily justified or reprehensible. Shot with skill and a startling sense of atmosphere, this film stays with you.

rado and 2 others like this

João Pedro Tomás, Eduardo A.

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Luke Stephen Richardson

3Dec12

A modest, beautiful social realism drama from the finest Russian filmmaker in a generation. Read my full review here: http://366movies.com/2012/12/03/330elena/

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Articles

Our roundup of essays and articles on this film.
W184

The Best Movie Posters of 2012

By Adrian Curry on December 29, 2012

Adrian Curry’s annual round-up of his favorite film posters of the year.

read article
W184

Movie Poster of the Week: “Elena” and the Top Ten Favorite Posters of Designer Sam Smith

By Adrian Curry on May 11, 2012

A look at the process that led to the poster for the new Zvyagintsev and its designer’s selection of his favorite movie posters of all-time.

read article
W184

First Look 2012. Supplementary Roundup

By David Hudson on January 9, 2012

Overviews of the Museum of the Moving Image series: 13 features and seven shorts, nearly all of them New York premieres.

read article
W184

Wrapping Cannes 2011. Un Certain Regard

By David Hudson on May 31, 2011

High time to round up the films at this year's Cannes Film Festival that never saw entries of their own and send them on their way. Today

read article

Review: Andrey Zvagintsev's ELENA

By Twitchfilm.com on May 14, 2012
Acclaimed Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev (The Return, The Banishment) taps into the rich tradition of film noir, as well as the influence and cultural echoes of such diverse Russian forebears as
→ read on Twitchfilm.com

Review: Andrey Zvyagintsev's ELENA

By Twitchfilm.com on May 14, 2012
Acclaimed Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev (The Return, The Banishment) taps into the rich tradition of film noir, as well as the influence and cultural echoes of such diverse Russian forebears as
→ read on Twitchfilm.com

VIFF 2011: ELENA Review

By Twitchfilm.com on October 17, 2011
Eight years ago Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev turned in an impressive debut with The Return. Zvyagintsev’s assured direction underscored the film’s sublime mystery and subtle brutality. His second
→ read on Twitchfilm.com

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Reviews

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Um grito objectivo e puramente cinematográfico.

By João Pedro Tomás on March 20, 2013

Um grito objectivo e puramente cinematográfico.

Para mim, esta é a verdadeira definição de verdadeiro cinema, de um filme completo. E digo completo pois, no fundo, tem tudo…  read review

In Search Of.........?

By Mehdi Jahan on February 12, 2013

Empty lives in search for something to fill their vacuous souls in a world where there’s nothing to be found ! ‘Modernity’ is a facade in a world where primal instincts still reign supreme and blood…  read review

Film review: Elena (MFF 2012)

By Miasma on October 13, 2012

This review is part of my coverage of the 2012 Milwaukee Film Festival…  read review

A movie who's power is in the details

By Michael Harbour on March 18, 2012

The long introductory shot introducing the apartment Elena shares with her second husband (and former employer) begins looking just like any ordinary apartment then slowly reveals evidence of wealth…  read review

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