A young woman gets into big trouble and embarks on an adventure while trying to get rid of the dead body of her husband. She is assisted by a strange guy who has just escaped from the local mental hospital. Both of these heroes are walking disasters and manage to make things even worse than they really are. Probably the most bizarre and eclectic of Muratova’s films, it switches from one mood of the characters (and the viewer) to another, takes us from drama to absurd comedy, moves from satire to burlesque and even Grand Guignol. Mourning is followed by celebration, howls of despair transform into songs of joy. Doctors accidentally kill their patients, the insane happen to be the only normal and humane people, life suddenly turns into death and vice versa. And all this happens in leaps and bounds. A hilarious topsy-turvy experience that makes you feel happy, mad and melancholy at once.
Film details
Country of production
Ukraine
Year
2001
Festival edition
IFFR 2013
Length
105'
Medium/Format
35mm
Language
Russian
Premiere status
None
Director
Kira Muratova
Producer
Aleksandr Bokovikov, Anna Chmil, Sergey Grinevsky
Screenplay
Kira Muratova, Sergei Chetvertkov
Principal cast
Sergei Chetvertkov, Natalya Buzko
Production company
Odessa Film Studio, Ministry of Culture and Arts of Ukraine