"All Bo's Fears" (Beau Is Afraid)
Director Ari Aster skillfully combines cinematic techniques from different genres in his films in a manner that is unique to him. As in his early films - "Solstice" and "Reincarnation" - in "All Bo's Fears", the cinematographer combines elements of mysticism with psychological drama, exposing the inner world of the character.
In the story, the anxious Bo, played by Joaquin Phoenix, is afraid of everything in the world. However, he must go to his mother's funeral. The journey turns into an epic adventure for the hero, during which his darkest fears come out.
The main theme of the picture, according to the director, is guilt, because of which Bo is stuck in his own world.
"Playing with the story of a hero has always been a risk. But it's also a film about an unlived life. The action takes place in a cartoon world, which should be a mirror image of ours," Aster said in an interview with Vox. "It's a film about guilt — it's so obvious that there's nothing to explain. It's about a person who's really locked inside himself, really trapped."
"Pardon"
The action of the military drama by Ainur Askarov takes place near Stalingrad in 1942. In the newly formed unit, three young soldiers are waiting to be sent to the front. One of them, Lubomir Zukh, falls in love with a local girl, Marie-Teresa. Fierce battles are unfolding in the city, which is why the soldiers urgently need to go to the rescue. Zuh, wanting to say goodbye to his beloved, briefly leaves the field camp. However, during his absence, he was recognized as a deserter and sentenced to death.
The film is based on the novel of the same name by the Soviet and Bashkir poet and playwright Mustai Karim, published in 1986. It is based on a real story, witnessed by the author himself. The film raises moral questions about duty, following orders and showing humanity.
Filming took place near Minsk and partly near St. Petersburg. The central roles were played by Alexander Novikov, Jamila Mudarisova, Gela Meskhi, Nikolai Gallyamov and Evgeny Mikheev.
The film was presented at the 45th Moscow International Film Festival as part of the Russian Premieres program. Read more about the film in the RT material.
"Treasures of the Partisan Forest"
The military adventure drama by Yuri Ilyin (the series "The Loop of Time", "Seven Pairs of the Unclean") scripted by Tatyana Firsova ("Simple Truths", "The Institute of Noble Maidens") was filmed for the anniversary of the Great Victory over fascism.
The action of the tape begins in June 1941, on the eve of the declaration of war. The museum of a small town opens an exhibition of awards of imperial Russia, which presents a collection of ancient coins and orders. After the city is attacked by German troops, the director of the museum takes the exhibits and, together with the children, flees in a truck. However, the driver intends to appropriate the treasure for himself. At the same time, they are being hunted by the Germans and the police. On the way, the children lose their mother and seek help from local partisans.
"The most important thing in this film is to show that not only adults were heroes during the war, but also children were fearless and helped in the fight against the Germans. Indeed, during the Great Patriotic War there were a lot of child heroes. The characters of the film had a choice, and they made the right one, "the ArtMuscovy portal quotes actress Elena Zakharova.
Filming took place in the city of Kasimov, Ryazan region. The children were played by Vasilisa Nemtsova and Pyotr Nechiporenko.
"Kung Fu Stallion" (Long ma jing shen)
Jackie Chan pleases fans in the role of a martial artist in the drama-comedy action movie Larry Yang.
According to the plot, stuntman Lao Lo, who has an extraordinary comrade - the stallion Red Hare - is going through hard times because of debts. He is not able to take care not only of his pet, but also of himself. When Law realizes that his friend can be sold at auction, he turns to his daughter and her lover, a lawyer, for help. Intractable collectors and some influential people who have announced a hunt for him do not intend to wait and use their own methods to return the money. The moment of the collectors' fight with Law and the Red Hare gets into social networks and conquers users. Law gets a second chance at a prosperous life.
On the IMDb portal, the tape received 7.2 points out of 10, and on the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score was 82%. One critic noted that this is the most emotional and heartbreaking work of Jackie Chan.
"Yura janitor"
The plot of the comedy film by Vitaly Dudka ("Who's there?") inspired by a real story that happened to Ufa residents - photographer Roman Filippov and janitor Yuri Vetlugin, who became the person of the year according to GQ magazine. The script for the film was written by the debutant in the feature film Dmitry Kiryushkin.
In the center of the story is the photographer Roman, who, after unsuccessful attempts to find a job in the capital, returns to his native Ufa. There he meets a cheerful and good-natured janitor Yura, a disabled person of the 3rd group, by the grace of scammers who found himself in debt. Roman decides to help him raise money. He photographs a man in the style of GQ and uses Photoshop to place the picture on the cover of a fashion magazine. The footage goes viral, and the story of the janitor resonates unexpectedly.
The role of Yura was played by Anton Kuznetsov, and Roman was played by Denis Vlasenko. In addition, the project starred Tatyana Dogileva, Nelly Uvarova, Gosha Kutsenko, Ida Galich.
"I immediately liked this role - it's a different person, with different qualities, not what I usually play. I heard about Yura's story and even attended the same GQ award with him. But I didn't know Roma. Before filming, I read about him, but we crossed paths only on the set, "Vlasenko told Sobaka.ru magazine.