La traductrice

good cast. interesting story. slices of origins problem, shadow of past, Russian mafia in West Europe, manipulation, relativity of truth and crumbs of Moscow. not a great movie, but clever solutions for present existences as parts of different worlds. more than story of a young woman and image of Ivan as new Hannibal Lecter, it is a reflection of West in mirror of East. business , fear, people as insignificant pieces of a play, traitor, power of money, corruption as law and beauty as mask. a fairy tale in dark nuances. and unusual love declaration for Russia. because the language, the kind to see world, the escape solution, the obscure source of power, the circle of illusions are parts from an old science to strive the small things for be the winner behind any accident.

Great, "European" photography and classical music are are staple in basic Frenchie films. One talked about 80% of the time in Russian is not. While the plot is not very believable, the characters are. The film rests on the shoulders of Julia Batinova, which is a good thing. The other main character, Bruno Todeschini, is much more well known, from "Petits meurtres en famille" (TV) and lesser works (i.e. Bonhomme de chemin). Contrary to expectations, he is not at all convincing, failing to transmit anything.

Sergey Garmash is so likable as a shady guy that you almost forget about Russian maffia. Some taints of Swiss life are interesting but specially the positive look on Moscow shows where the director's heart really is. The Russian big shot does manipulate Ira in a very "Hannibal" like way, getting to her heart, her relationship with her dad (or lack of it), etc. while being indicted, and not exactly on the best position to play mental games. Not very real, again, but likable! You almost feel fond of these Russian moguls who "ok, trafficked ..., but what does it matter?" as Oleg summarized.

By not showing a too positive image of anybody, this film gains strength and interest. I liked it, but I guess it's a personal affair. If you are into "coming of age/ Bildungsroman", and or like anything Russian, you'll love it.