Slava Ross: ''Siberia, Monamour''
''Siberia, Monamour''
ΥΠΟΤΙΤΛΟΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΓΓΛΙΚΗ ΓΛΩΣΣΑ
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As unrelenting as a wild dog attack, "Siberia, Monamour" is a powerful story of life and death on the fringes of Russian society. In a deserted Siberian village, an old man and his grandson wait. The boy's father left two years ago and has not returned. A pack of feral dogs also waits just outside the village, devouring everything alive. One of these dogs is the boy's best friend. The others keep the boy and his grandfather isolated in the wilderness, far from the nearest village. Through this dangerous yet beautiful landscape wander a host of soldiers, marauders, prostitutes and drunks. They are all searching for an escape.
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In 2002 he shot his first short-length film "Meat" that received about 30 international awards and was included by the Centre on Cooperation between TV and Cinema Schools under the auspices of UNESCO (SELECT) into the international programme of teaching cinema art as a training manual.
In 2003 jointly with his friends set up the film company "Tundra Film" at which he created his first longlength film "Dull Fat Hare". The film got several prizes at international film festivals.
- A solidly directed portrayal of backwater Russian life, Siberia, Monamour marks a promising sophomore effort from filmmaker Slava Ross. Miles away from the absurdist theatrics of his debut feature, Fat Stupid Rabbit, Ross convincingly depicts various country folk fighting to survive both in and around the ironically named hamlet of Monamour, located in the heart of the Siberian taiga. Cut off from the outside world in conditions that appear unchanged since the reign of Nicolas II, the place is left open to attack by dogs and thieves scouring the land for food. The well-constructed narrative has several characters crossing paths at different points, centering on an orphaned 7-year-old boy, Lyochka (Mikhail Protsko), and his god-fearing grandfather (vet Pyotr Zaichenko, Taxi Blues), who reside alone in a ramshackle log cabin. After stopping by to offer assistance, Lyochka’s uncle (Sergei Novikov) suffers a horrible fate, leaving his dad and nephew completely isolated as the winter sets in and the snow begins to tumble. A parallel, somewhat lighter storyline involves a mentally unstable army captain (the formidable Nikolai Kozak) who’s been sent on a mission to retrieve a prostitute for his cigar-chomping lieutenant (Sergei Puskepalis, How I Ended This Summer). Accompanied by a young private (Maxim Yemelyanov), the soldiers traverse the mud-filled country roads until they eventually snare a girl (Lidiya Bairashevskay), and only then have a change of heart. Initially developed under the Cannes Residence program, the screenplay’s different plots are sufficiently weaved together, even if they do suffer from a certain heavy-handedness and overt symbolism (e.g. wild dogs racing beneath a rusty Communist-era monument, a child’s drawing substituting as an Orthodox icon). But Ross often undercuts such moments with a dark (and very Russian) sense of humor, as well as a pointed naturalistic style that accompanies certain scenes, including a roadside picnic where two characters swap stories and indulge in a bottle of moonshine. Performances are strong across the board, and the young Protsko is particularly touching without ever seeming cute. Excellent cinematography by Yury Rajski and Alexey Todorov captures the monumental landscapes and decaying interiors, while the score by Aidar Gainullin is perhaps too grandiose for the subject matter.
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Director/screenwriter:
Slava Ross
Born in 1966 in Berdsk, Novosibirsk region. He was the leading actor of the Novosibirsk theatre "Red Flame" in 1989- 1996. Graduated from director's department of the VGIK (workshop of V.Khotinenko). Upon the results of studding he was included into the President's directory of intellectual resources of Russia.
Born in 1966 in Berdsk, Novosibirsk region. He was the leading actor of the Novosibirsk theatre "Red Flame" in 1989- 1996. Graduated from director's department of the VGIK (workshop of V.Khotinenko). Upon the results of studding he was included into the President's directory of intellectual resources of Russia.
- Cast: Pytor Zaichenko, Mikhail Protsko, Sergei Novikov, Lidiya Bairashevskay, Nikolai Kozak, Maxim Yemelyanov, Sonya Ross
-Producers: Vadim Zhuk, Slava Ross, Igor Chekalin
-Directors of photography: Yury Rajsky, Alexey Todorov
-Production designer: Grigori Pushkin
-Music: Aidar Gainullin
-Costume designer: Mariya Rtishcheva
-Editor: Igor Litoninskiy
-Sales Agent: EuropaCorp
-Production company: Tundra Film
-No rating, 94 minutes
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http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/siberia-monamour-film-review-181517