Directed by:
Andrey ZvyagintsevCinematography:
Mikhail KrichmanComposer:
Philip GlassCast:
Nadezhda Markina, Elena Lyadova, Andrey Smirnov, Andrey Zolotukhin, Yaroslav Zhalnin, Igor Ogurtsov, Igor Yurtaev, Yuriy Borisov, Vasiliy Prokopev (more)VOD (1)
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Elena and Vladimir come from very different backgrounds. Vladimir is a wealthy, cold man, while Elena comes from a modest background, serving as his docile wife. The two of them have met late in life, each with a child from a previous marriage. Vladimir has a distant relationship with his daughter. In contrast, Elena desperately tries to save her alcoholic son and his family from poverty with means she alone could not provide. When her husband Vladimir has a heart attack, he suddenly realizes his time on earth is limited. A tender but brief reunion with his daughter leads him to name her as the sole heir to his fortune. When Vladimir announces this change to Elena, her hope to help her son quickly vanishes. Submissive housewife Elena then comes up with a plan to provide her son and his family with a real change in life. (New Wave Films)
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Reviews (2)
A very harsh portrait of Russian reality of everyday life, which at the end knocks the audience off their feet. But only if they accept the incredibly dragged direction from the beginning, which shows every little detail to create the right atmosphere until it gets lost in endlessly long shots. Anyhow, this movie is quite a faithful portrait of reality. You will tell yourself that some people have such fates that even a screenwriter couldn’t come up with that. Yelena is an exception.
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A banal story, a bad script, and a cultivated directorial concept. Zvjagincev deeply disappointed me with his inability to tell the emotional side of the story alongside the visual - it’s no wonder, as the story is so naïve and flat that there is no room for emotions. Based on the magnificent The Return, the director deeply disappointed me. Elena is not lousy, but it is a very mediocre film.
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Gallery (20)
Photo © MFF Karlovy Vary 2011
![Elena - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/040/845/40845651_57414f.jpg)
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