The story of a couple of swindlers – a poor musician, Andrei, and his ambitious girlfriend, Lina – and their victims, two elderly women. Anna Sergeevna, a rich aristocratic widow, lives alone in a luxurious apartment and spends a lot of time with her best friend, Luba. Andrei and Lina plan to steal the widow’s savings. But first Andrei has to gain her confidence by posing as a piano tuner… Muratova transforms her satirical crime drama into an existential one about human relations, totally controlled and fatally damaged by social and economic conventions. Every character virtuously exploits the feelings of the others, and none doubt for a moment that love, devotion and friendship do cost money. As usual, Muratova contrasts different cinematic and artistic techniques. The diversity and interplay of her methods give rise to a very particular aesthetic. Highly explosive, yet perfectly balanced.
Film details
Countries of production
Russia, Ukraine
Year
2004
Festival edition
IFFR 2013
Length
154'
Medium/Format
35mm
Language
Russian
Director
Kira Muratova
Producer
Sergey Chliyants, Aleksandr Bokovikov
Screenplay
Kira Muratova, Evgeny Golubenko, Sergei Chetvertkov
Cinematography
Gennady Karyuk
Editing
Valentina Oleynik
Production design
Evgeny Golubenko
Sound design
Yefim Turetsky, Alexei Shulga
Principal cast
Renata Litvinova, Georgy Deliev
Music
Valentin Silvestrov
Production company
Pygmalion Production Film Co., Ministry of Culture and Arts of Ukraine
