Russian Cinema
Early films from the then Soviet Union had a shaky start due to the First World War and the October Revolution in 1917, but Lenin himself and later Stalin recognised the propaganda uses of the medium. At first, with the infrastructure in tatters and virtually no cinemas in which to screen films, shorts expounding communism were carried from place to place often accompanying live speakers. Once Moscow's first cinema was opened at the end of 1921, newsreels became common. But in 1924 Sergei Eisenstein's 'Strike' became the first true Soviet feature. The following year his 'Battleship Potemkin' was launched to great acclaim, highly propagandistic and towing the party line.
Tight restrictions on content continued up until Stalin's death in 1953 and it wasn't until the '60s and '70s that seminal Russian film makers like Andrei Tarkovsky, Sergo Paradjanov and Nikita Mikhalkov began to find their own voice.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the largely state-funded film industry all but disappeared and is only now beginning to find its feet once more. A few gems found their way to Alice's shelves from this period, such as 'Burnt By The Sun' (1994), 'Prisoner of the Mountains' (1996), and our one and only Estonian film is to be found in this section, for want of a better home, the darkly humourous 'Darkness in Tallinn' (1993). 2002 saw the release of 'Russian Ark' (pictured), shot in one take, it is the longest unedited film ever made.
Vodka Lemon (2003)
6.8/10
Director: Hiner Saleem
Starring: Romen Avinian, Lala Sarkissian
Kurdish filmmaker Hiner Saleem earned critical comparisons to Fellini, Kusturica, Iosseliani, and Kaurismaki with this breakout comedy. A whimsical, f... Read more
Koktebel (2003)
7/10
Director: Boris Khlebnikov, Alexei Popogrebsky
Starring: Agrippina Steklova, Igor Chernevich, Vladimir Kucherenko, Gleb Puskepalis
The feature debut from writing/directing team Boris Khlebnikov and Alexei Popogrebsky, this Russian road movie tells the story of a father and son mak... Read more
The Stroll (2003)
7.4/10
Director: Aleksei Uchitel
Starring: Irina Pegova, Pavel Barshak, Yevgeni Tsyganov
A.k.a. "Progulka". Olya (Irina Pegova) steps out of a luxurious car and begins a stroll through the streets of St Petersburg, striking up an acquainta... Read more
Father and Son (2003)
6.7/10
Director: Alexander Sokurov
Starring: Andrei Shchetinin, Aleksei Nejmyshev, Aleksandr Razbash
Alexander Sokurov, the visionary director of "Russian Ark", presents another powerful work of intense beauty and emotion. Following the critically acc... Read more
The Return (2003)
8/10
Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Starring: Vladimir Garin, Ivan Dobronravov, Konstantin Lavronenko, Natalia Vdovina
Two teenage brothers, living with their mother, discover that their father has returned home after years of absence without a word of explanation. He... Read more
The Cuckoo (2002)
7.9/10
Director: Alexandr Rogozhkin
Starring: Anni-Christiina Juuso, Ville Haapasalo, Viktor Bychkov
Aka "Kukushka". Highly-praised and upbeat anti-war drama in which two men from opposing armies - a Finnish sniper and a Russian Captain find themselve... Read more
Lilya 4-Ever (2002)
7.9/10
Director: Lukas Moodysson
Starring: Oksana Akinshina, Artiom Bogucharskij, Elina Benenson
Lukas Moodysson's third feature, following 'Show Me Love' and 'Together', is a touching and tender insight into the life of Lilya, a chirpy girl of si... Read more
Russian Ark (2002)
7.4/10
Director: Alexander Sokurov
Starring: Sergei Dreiden, Maria Kuznetsova, Leonid Mozgovoy
Director Alexander Sokurov's ("Mother and Son") audacious cinematic tour-de-force follows an unseen narrator who magically finds himself transported t... Read more
House of Fools (2002)
7.2/10
Director: Andrei Konchalovsky
Starring: Yuliya Vysotskaya, Sultan Islamov, Stanislav Varkki, Vladas Bagdonas, Bryan Adam...
Based on a true story, this offbeat Russian drama concerns a mental hospital on the border of Chechnya and its assortment of eccentrics. When the arri... Read more
The Mark of Cain (2000)
6.5/10
Director: Alix Lambert
Alix Lambert's ground-breaking documentary overtly examines the dying art of Russian prison tattooing, while at the same time, more covertly, showing... Read more