Goddess

Goddess is the impressive directing début of the Russian scriptwriter and actress Renata Litvinova. In her own country, she is a real cult star and has acted in films by Peter Greenaway and Kira Muratova. At this festival, Litvinova can also be seen in Muratova’s The Tuner. Her work is an example of the versatility of Russian parallel cinema from the Near Past and Near Future programme. Goddess is a police thriller with a surrealistic layer. Stylised, occasionally truly psychedelic images tell the story of the female cop Faina – always on high heels with a bottle of drink in her attaché case – whose work puts her in contact with the seamier side of life. She has spent a year on the case of a missing girl. There are no clues about her disappearance and many, including the girl’s parents, have given up hope. Faina refuses to believe that the girl is dead and feels that a solution is within reach. The boundary between reality and dream becomes increasingly vague. In her dreams, Faina receives a visit from her mother, who tells her not to be afraid of death. Despite the bizarre and far from cheerful events in this film, the stunning photography, the subtle black humour, the catchy soundtrack (including music by Nick Cave) and above all the intriguing acting of Litvinova ensures a lighthearted, melancholy and occasionally sensual mood. (SdH)