La noce

Pavel Lungin's "Svadba" ("The Wedding" in English) is mainly about a wedding, but also shows a contrast between the different kinds of worlds in Russia. Tanya, having worked as a model in Moscow, returns to her economically depressed hometown and decides to marry a friend from school. However, a series of issues arise as they get ready for the wedding.

Although we see the wedding and all its Russian traditions, the movie also looks at issues of corruption and the general hopelessness in this mining town. The opening scene (where the glamorous Tanya is on a bus with a bunch of gruff people) makes the contrast very clear. And then there's a bunch of stuff that we learn about the characters over the course of the movie.

I recommend it.

I am grateful to the commentators who suggested comparisons to Robert Altman's "Wedding" and the Indian "Monsoon Wedding"-- the comparison that came to mind for me was "Sweet Home Alabama." But I definitely find it the greatest depiction of contemporary Russian culture, especially as it shows provincial, rather than big-city life. I titled my comments "Laughter through Tears," as that is a phrase associated with one of Russia's greatest writers, Nikolai Gogol, who inaugurated the absurd and grotesque in Russian literature. I know Pavel Lunguin as the director of "Taxi Blues," and find his development as a filmmaker in the 10 years between the two films very compelling. Longuin, to my mind, is one of the few filmmakers who has found his own authentic Russian voice in contemporary cinema.

This amazing comedy mocks all film rules, giving you hardly any opportunity to predict what comes next. This wedding is a wodka-loaden, Russian, chaotic party with a bride worth alone to watch the film for, amazing scenes (like in the orphanage), with extreme characters who never become unreal. It's very warm, very funny, sometimes even scary although nothing really extreme happens. Weird things happen, though. The movie starts with Tanya, a supermodel, returning to her home village from Moscow, looking for a shy mineworker she was in love with when she was 14, and making him a proposal: flip a coin, heads is marrying, tails is not marrying. Later on, you'll understand why. You'll love this film if you can enjoy movies that are not by-the-book.

In Lipski, a small town 200 km far from Moscow, in a post-socialism Russia, the top-model Tanya (Mariya Mironova) returns home after five years in Moscow. She meets the shy miner Mishka (Marat Basharov), for whom she had a crush when she was a teenager, and proposes him, after gambling heads or tails. Mishka accepts to marry her, but he does not have any money for the feast or for a gift. His honored father makes the arrangements for the simple party. His drunken friend Garkusha (Andrei Panin) decides to help him to get money for a wedding gift, but indeed he gets Mishka into trouble with the nasty local chief of police Borzov (as Aleksandr Semchev), a limited man who aims to be transferred to Moscow. Meanwhile, the wealthy former lover of Tanya, Borodin (Vladimir Simonov), comes to Lispki, trying to recover Tanya. Further, after the ceremony, Tanya discloses surprising revelations to Mishka. 'The Wedding' is a totally unpredictable funny movie, showing samples of the post-socialism Russia, with the happy, beautiful and broken people, the powerful and corrupt capitalist (Borodin), traces of the former authoritarian regime (Borzov) and lots of vodka. The happiness and the beauty of the people without money recalled me in many situations the joyful Brazilian people. The gorgeous Mariya Mironova resembles the American actress Cameron Diaz. 'The Wedding' is a different and interesting movie for viewers who appreciate different cultures. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): 'As Bodas' ('The Wedding Feast')

The same theme as "A Wedding" by Robert Altman, but with the much sadder social context of contemporary Russia. Communism might be finished (notwithstanding the odd hammer and sickle still showing here and there), but the quality of life of the people has not improved - with the only exception of mafia-stile capitalists. Towards the end of the film the chief of police says excitedly: "I AM BACK !", and this might be the sad reflection of the author on the future of the country (not necessarily back to Communism, that is, but to an authoritarian regime of sort).

And still, the people maintain a sort of desperate cheerfulness - made of jokes, drinking, music, dancing and sex. If you liked "Black Cat, White Cat" by Emir Kusturica (or the wedding scene in Underground) you will like this film.