A world without emotions and a confession of love: the films “Aquarium”, “He+She” and “May December” are released

"May December"

A romance develops between 36-year-old Gracie (Julianne Moore) and seventh-grader Joe (Charles Melton).

Despite the scandal, 20 years later they are happily married with three children.

One day, actress Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) visits the family's home: she is preparing for a role in a film whose plot is inspired by the life of the couple.

In order to immerse herself in the image of Gracie and realistically convey the character of her heroine, Elizabeth increasingly spends time with the married couple, and these meetings reveal all the ins and outs of the family.

The director of the dramatic thriller was Todd Haynes, who previously directed the projects “Dark Waters”, “Carol” and others.

Film critics rated the film positively.

It has a 90% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

“Contrary to what one might assume based on the plot, May December is not a bright, dynamic or even particularly dramatic story,” writes The Guardian reviewer Adrian Horton.

“In this creation, in which a pinch of jokes gradually gives way to a sad tone, there is something elusive and not amenable to clear classification, which, depending on the angle of view, is associated either with the level of skill demonstrated in this film, or with its emptiness.” .

"The Long-awaited Dawn" (Finalmente l'alba)

The director of the film was the winner of special prizes at the Venice Film Festival Saverio Costanzo (“My Brilliant Friend”, “Hungry Hearts”).

“This is a picture about the world of show business.

So, of course, about ambition and vanity.

Since these characters come from the world of cinema and make films themselves, there are many others hidden within this film.

It looks like a Chinese box,” the director said in an interview with Variety.

The plot of the historical drama centers on a young Roman woman, Mimosa, who, on the eve of her engagement to an unloved man, decides to try her luck and goes to a film studio to audition for a role as an extra.

The magnetic atmosphere of the movie attracts the heroine, and she plunges into an illusory world, where she reveals herself from a new side.

The story takes place in the 1950s over the course of one night.

Filming took place in the Italian capital and at Villa Quintili southeast of Rome.

The central roles were played by Lily James, Joe Keery, Rebecca Antonacci, Willem Dafoe.

Film critic Maureen Lee Lenker notes the excellent performances of the actors, especially James.

“(Lily. -

RT

) James is the highlight of the program here.

She brings arrogance and a Mid-Atlantic accent to the streets of Rome (Hollywood -

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).

Josephine is a fictional character, a fusion of the passion and impetuosity of actresses such as Ava Gardner and Elizabeth Taylor.

James masterfully conveys the mysterious energy that made these women sirens of the big screen.

In a ballgown and a red wig, she becomes a woman whose glamor barely hides the loneliness lurking inside her,” she wrote in her review for Entertainment Weekly.

The film was nominated for the main award at the Venice Film Festival, where it premiered in 2023.

"He+She"

This film is a confession of people who talk about their relationships, share painful issues and talk about love.

The acting ensemble included Sergei Burunov, Pavel Derevyanko, Katerina Shpitsa, Sergei Bondarchuk, Olga Naumenko, Yana Poplavskaya, Andrei Merzlikin, Ivan Yankovsky and others.

Directed by Alexandra Frank.

For her, the film became her debut in a full-length feature film.

She wrote the script together with Larisa Bravitskaya, and the director worked with her on the documentary “Where the Border Is” and the short film “Joy.”

In the new film, Frank combines fiction and documentary styles.

Characters talk about things that are important to them in the form of interviews.

“The inspiration for the creation of the film “He + She” was my author’s project “KinoTest”, which was originally conceived as a database of presentation video interviews of artists.

As a result, about 287 actors of different ages and experience were filmed, and with each of them, in conversation, we in one way or another touched on the topic of love, family, relationships between a man and a woman,” Lenfilm quotes Frank as saying.

"Aquarium"

Another debut film is presented by Ilya Shagalov.

The script was written by Dmitry Konstantinov (“I Stay,” “Thaw”).

The drama takes place in the near future, where an idyllic atmosphere reigns, and the display of emotions is considered a serious violation.

An exemplary citizen, Stas one day shows aggression unacceptable for an ideal world.

He is now under special supervision and must attend anger management classes with a psychologist.

At the same time, the hero finds himself at a crossroads between his family and the woman he once loved.

“It was a difficult task to tell the story of a person facing a choice.

This is a frozen point where the past has not yet ceased, and the future depends on you,” the portal kino-teatr.ru quotes the words of the director.

The central roles were played by Alexey Filimonov, Nikita Elenev and Daria Ursulyak.

The acting ensemble also included Anna Kotova, Alexey Kravchenko, Lyubov Tolkalina, Pavel Kabanov and others.

The film received a special prize - “For Reality” - at the “In Short” festival in the summer of 2023.