Aleksandra

Country:	Russia/France
Language:	Russian / Chechen
Duration:	95 minutes
Distributor:	Rezo Films International
Director:	Alexander Sokurov
Starring:	Galina Vishnevskaya / Vasily Shevtsov / Raisa Gichaeva
Genre:	Drama

Lovingly written and directed by Alexander Sokurov, this moving yet unsentimental story was shot under extreme conditions in and around war-torn Grozny. An elderly Russian woman, played by legendary opera star Galina Vishnevskaya, takes a train trip to visit her grandson at his remote army camp inside Chechnya. The two haven’t seen each other for 7 years.

Aleksandra is opinionated, proud, stubborn and forthright and is appalled by the lack of discipline on the base and the state of her grandson Denis’s uniform. She watches soldiers barely old enough to grow facial hair clean their guns while the soldiers stare back at her – their minds returning to civilian life and of home.

Unbound by army restrictions, Aleksandra talks her way past a guarded checkpoint and wanders into the town markets where she meets a Chechen stall-holder named Malika. The two old women bond and venture back to Malika’s bomb-blasted apartment where they share a cup of tea and the kind of neighbourly warmth denied their grandsons. Together they discover their differences and their similarities, and war is revealed for what it is: brutal, crushing and ugly.

What the Critics say!

“…graceful, humane story … Vishnevskaya is marvellous as the matriarch who casts a sad eye at the pain and heartbreak caused by war …”

Jason Anderson – eyeweekly.com

“…featuring a performance of monumental depth by opera legend Galina Vishnevskaya” Jay Weissberg – variety.com

Chris Cabin – reel.com

“A film of startling originality and beauty.” – New York Times