Sergei is traumatised from early childhood by a boating accident which took the lives of his mother and sister, whilst he himself was rescued by his father. Zhenia is going through a rebellious teenage phase in her relationship with the world in general and her mother in particular. She takes up a job with a telephone sex agency and starts a ‘remote’ relationship with Sergei. The intensity of their feelings is enhanced by the virtual nature of the affair. Sergei’s death in an accident just before their first date adds to the symbolism of the narrative and twists the story line, taking it even further away from traditional melodrama. Tamed by contemporary conventions and ‘digitised’ by modern paraphernalia of electronic gadgets, the fundamental human urge for reciprocation and desire to be connected with others remain unchanged. Proskurina confesses that she drew inspiration for the script from the lines of Ivan Bunin: ‘Year after year, day after day, there is but one event that we secretly wait for – a joyful love affair. In the end we live only for the hope of such an encounter, however, it is in vain…’. In Remote Access the complexity of the narrative, the intricate juxtaposition of image and sound and the masterful ensemble performance of the cast mark the return of Svetlana Proskurina to the wide screen. (MB)
