"The Tales of Hoffmann"
Even before its wide release, Tina Barkalaya’s dramedy “The Tales of Hoffmann” had a busy festival life: the film opened the screening of the short film “In Short”, was included in the program of the film debut festival “Spirit of Fire” and was shown at the Indian International Film Festival.
The action takes place in the late 1990s - early 2000s. In the center of the plot is Muscovite Nadya, who is forced to support not only herself, but also her husband Vitalik, who married her for the sake of an apartment and registration. The girl works in the library during the day, and in the evening as a cloakroom attendant in the theater. It was there that she met Garik, who works in cinema. He invites Nadya to star in a commercial where only her beautiful hands will be used.
The main role was played by the star of “Hipsters” and “The Last Hero” Ekaterina Vilkova. The film also stars Evgeny Tsyganov, Maxim Stoyanov, Alexey Guskov and others.
According to producer Ekaterina Filippova, the new film is a kind of modern fairy tale “about how everything is in your hands. Sometimes even in the most literal sense of the word.”
“And the fact that the prince will not solve all your problems, because he himself is sometimes immersed in a pile of his own. And you can only break out of a series of dull routine through your own efforts,” Rossiyskaya Gazeta quotes Filippova as saying.
"Abnormal"
“The Abnormal” is the debut directorial work of actor Ilya Malanin, who starred in such popular projects as “The Others” and “The Heart of Parma.” Work on the new film also took place in Shanghai. “Deranged” became the first foreign film shot in China after the pandemic.
In the story, 8-year-old Kolya suffers from a congenital disease. His mother no longer hopes for her son’s recovery, but the author of a unique gymnastics system appears in their lives, confident that he can cure the boy. When it turns out that the child has musical talent, Kolya sets out to take part in a competition in China. Learning to play the piano becomes one of the important elements of therapy.
In an interview with Gazeta.Ru, the director said that, despite the hero’s illness, the theme of inclusion in the film is not the main one. Malanin emphasized that the authors of the film do not speculate on illnesses, although using the example of Kolya they talk about a person who, among other things, managed to cope with some health problems.
"Mothers' Instinct"
The leading roles in the dramatic thriller “Maternal Instinct” were played by Anne Hathaway (“The Devil Wears Prada”) and Jessica Chastain (“The Martian”), and directed by Benoit Delhomme. Previously, he worked as a cameraman on the films “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” and “The Drunkest District in the World,” and “Maternal Instinct” became his directorial debut.
The film is based on Barbara Abel's novel "Beyond the Hate." The plot centers on typical American housewives from the 1960s, Alice and Celine. It seems that everything is perfect for them: the friends live in country houses with beautiful lawns, both are happily married to successful men, have sons of the same age, and don’t even think about pursuing a career. One day one of the boys dies. After this, the friendship of the heroines collapses, and it is replaced by paranoia.
As The Straits Times author John Liu writes, Benoit Delhomme managed to find a middle ground between artificiality and realism in his film. The acting is convincing, and the lighting clearly conveys that the film is an idealized American version of suburbia. However, according to the film critic, the film turned out to be rather superficial and not exciting enough for a thriller.