{img:1563full.jpg|Elena}
Director: Andrei Zvyagintsev
2011 / Russian / 109 mins
Language: Russian
Andrey Zvyagintsev�s new film is a sharp, bitterly comic story of crystalline clarity about the moral and spiritual corruption of present-day Russia. A middle-aged former nurse, Elena, exploited by the boorish lay about son of her first marriage, is married to a wealthy retired businessman Vladimir, who is despised by the idle, estranged daughter of his previous marriage. Vladimir will do anything for his daughter, but will give nothing to Elena�s family, who live in a cramped flat and need money so their lazy teenage son can get into university instead of going into the army. When Vladimir has a heart attack at his gym, he decides he�ll make a will leaving everything to his daughter. Elena has a better idea, the consequences of which account for the tensions and irony in the second half of the film. It�s a gripping, resonant tale, and Nadezhda Markina is outstanding as Elena, and far more sympathetic than perhaps she should be. - Philip French / The Observer
Winner � Special Jury Prize, Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival 2011