Elena

The director makes the statement that the devil you know might strike any time. The darkness is present all around. This is not Disney.

Andrey Zvyagintsev 's 'The Return' is my favourite film to date of the 21st century. 'Elena', a personal drama that illuminates the class structure in contemporary Russia, is not quite so powerful – it's very slow, and the ambiguity of motive that drove the earlier film is not there. And on first viewing it wasn't clear to me whether the shocking but strangely ambivalent ending is a work of genius or the sign of a film that has lost its focus. Still, the director's ability to construct haunting, unexpected images has not deserted him; some scenes reminded me of Keislowski in his Polish phase, just about the highest praise I can give.

After Zvyagintsev's first movie, "The Return", I desperately wanted to see more of his work. He made another movie that I couldn't find, and finally- "Elena". New Russia, few new rich, and not so new, many poor. The land of fake equality became a land of stunning disparity. And the same kind of ruthless, lacking conscience kind of person that thrived in communism, does ever so well in the pool of greed and self-absorption. It was always about money and power, anyway. Cruel world and cruel deeds. What would one do for those he or she loves, no matter how undeserving they are. Apparently everything, even kill. Human capacity for evil surpasses very few things, and the ability to justify evil tops everything else. Hence the world we live in. Very simple actually, but still beyond comprehension of billions.

Most of the complaints about the movie fail to realize that sometimes, in more artistic works time, lighting, limited dialogue are used to create a mood. This move had a very interesting message, and in order to demonstrate the predicament that Elena is in. I could relate to her and how she felt that she was used and that her step daughter takes things for granted. While Elena is a very modest women who is looking out for the best interests of those around her.

I did enjoy the film, and as with most foreign films I enjoy the lighting the music and the overall feel. This goes a long way in order to transport us to another time and place. I actually felt for Elena right from the start of the film.

You must see in order to understand but I hope you get as much as I got out of it.

Perhaps not quite as ravishing or intense as the director's earlier or later works, this is nevertheless riveting enough. From a beautifully observed and measured opening with wondrous light patterns falling within the interior of a luxury apartment in Moscow we gradually learn of the daily movements of Elena and her less active but wealthy husband. We learn too of the husband's grown up daughter, living a 'hedonistic' life and Elena's extended family living within cramped social housing. For such a modest and leisurely paced film it is extraordinarily impressive how captivating it all is. Markedly different from the other films of Andrei Zvyagintsev, this is still a most impressive ad involving tale.