The fact that this film has not drawn more attention makes you wonder who is going to the movies and who is writing about them today. I caught it unannounced on the ethic channel, which was heavy trailering LUST CAUTION at the time.
Konchalovskiy has always been a festival film front-runner and his SIBERIADE is one of the best films made by the Soviets. He's someone whose views on his society have not been forefronted in his films to date, which is good new / bad news. GLOSS breaks with that tradition.
This one gets stuck into Russia in the time of the oligarchs, mail order brides and the free market. Konchalovskiy doesn't like this any more than his brother liked Stalin in BURNED BY THE SUN. The film strives for significance, with the character commenting "It isn't perestroika now. It's globalization." The resemblance to the Julie Christie film DARLING, along with the use of old western pop music gives things an anachronistic, old fashioned quality, which may be the intention. The fashion designer is told his work is out of date in an era where they make sculptures out of urine in London - which is itself out of date.
The leading lady from the director's DOM DARAKOV is back, getting one of the great female roles, going from sweatshop vamp to leader of Russian society and getting more makeovers than the Universal Pictures trade mark. She registers as gorgeous and startlingly transformed. It is a strength of the film that we are not sure whether hers is a success story or not.
Film making is imposing, even with dodgy attempts at high style - the flash dissolves in the scene of beating the "Zionist" journo. They still have trouble getting a full spectrum out of their lab work, though the end credits assure us they are using Eastmancolor. Added to which there is an abundance of topless - and bottomless - female flesh of a high order on display.
Whether or not the film's attempts at shock impact are naive or nicely judged it is one of the most memorable items circulating and leaves the Almodovar- Girl With the Dragon Tattoo twaddle that fills up the specialized theatres in it's dust.
