Moya lyubov

Where the story is only may be interesting for a teenager boy who is in love with women, the scenes take the lead and oh my God, they shine... I wouldn't watch even a minute of it if was a normal movie, but this one is like watching a impressionist painting in action.

Admittedly I was only able to see it on YouTube, so not the best format.

However, I was still very impressed at it's beauty. The icons painted on the wall in the Russian church shown during a service were one of my favorite parts.

It's about a young boy in czarist Russia and his pure idealization and fantasizing about love. He is drawn to a sophisticated older woman but also feels something for his family's maid.

As with most foreign films, the subtitles can not do it justice. You miss a lot of the actual dialogue. The jokes, the rhyming language, the use of informal/formal forms of address that we don't have in English.

Without knowing the culture there is a lot more than falls through. It also helps to have read Russian novels & short stories - you'd know that there's always tragedy and loss involved somehow.

So if you don't speak Russian or know the culture, just understand that there's a lot of context and subtext that you're missing and allow for that - but I think you'll still enjoy it for the pure visual beauty of the piece alone.

Aleksandr Petrov has been nominated for three Oscars for Best Animated Short Film and also won the Award for THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA. While only winning 1 of the 4 times he was up for the award, he easily could have won every time, as his artwork is so unique and transcendent--making the films less as cartoons and more like gorgeous works of art. Sadly, there's almost no information about this important artist on IMDb--and this probably reflects the gap between the East and West. Like all of his films, it is long (for a short) and tells a very complex story in vivid colors and textures. If you've never seen one of Petrov's films before, you'll find yourself transfixed. As for me, it's the fourth one I've seen and so some of the newness has worn off--but it's still amazing and I'll be pulling for him at the award ceremony next month.

UPDATE---This is the day before the Oscars are announced for 2008 and I just got back from a special screening by our local film society of all five films nominated in the category of Best Animated Short Film.

"Moya lyubov" was even prettier on the big screen and of the five nominees it was definitely the most artistic, though I enjoyed watching "Même les pigeons vont au paradis" more. Petrov's film is great and is a pretty good bet for the Oscar. However, it's biggest weaknesses are the plot (which is very unconventional) and the fact that Petrov is a perennial nominee. I think it's definitely between these two films and if I were voting, I'd give the nod to "Même les pigeons vont au paradis" though either one is quite deserving. My advice is regardless of the outcome, see them both.

ONE FINAL UPDATE--2/24/08--The Oscar was just announced and the winner in this category was PETER & THE WOLF. It just goes to show what I know!!

The love and lust of an adolescent boy. The innocence, confusion and fantasies in a world so complex that he choose his imagination to live while the two woman he fell in love with is dealing with their own confusions, mistakes and tragedy while loving him back. I am falling in love with Aleksandr Petrov's style of animation and filmmaking, one of the most beautiful films I have seen in recent times.

it is a great travel. across a feeling. across the images of a lost Russia. it is an admirable work. for the details, for the dialogue and for the magnificent art to reflect states out of words. it is a masterpiece and this is not a real surprise from Aleksandr Petrov. the special thing is the emotions after the end of film. as a ball of tenderness and seductive secret and childish - clear feeling. from a long time ago, for me, the films of Petrov are a sort of gifts of the Christmas Eve. but my love is more. maybe because I am East European. or for Slavic origins. it is a form of rehabilitation of a Golden Age using the perfect tools. and the result is more, real more than you expect.