Rusalka

I only saw fifteen films at the Sundance Film Festival this year, but this one was my favorite film. The music was fantastic and maintained a level of intrigue and surrealism that produced a sense of mythic reality and impending urgency. Anastasiya Dontsova was phenomenal as Young Alisa and Mariya Shalayeva, who played Alisa from ages 17-18 years old, was spellbinding. The many closeups of her anxious face were a delight to the beholder. Although the pacing was a little slow at times, the story moved forward with a sense of inevitability that I imagine reflects the current circumstance in Russia today. It's always wonderful to see great films still coming out of the former Soviet Union.

In the center of the plot there's a girl who can use magic realism to transform her life and the life of people living around her. But this is just as far as I can get with the comparison to The Fabulous World of Amélie Poulain. Because then comes the best.

In this movie you will face not only the benefits of this power but above all the desperation in it. The alienation in it. And the violence in it.

Turns out to be something much closer to real life, and real dreams and frustrations. It's not sweet, it's just big. Deserves to be watched for sure.

Different movies would make a big buff out of you. Especially when they come from other countries. I've always had a craving for Russian films, with Mermaid, it can be perfect for people with big imaginations. Here you have a girl name Alice(Masha Shalayeva) who went through childhood going through different stages of life. When she was a young girl, she wanted to be a ballerina. That fell through because of her mother's indecisiveness. Whenever she had a man who wasn't her father, she would set fire to the place she lived. Going through silent stages, she makes everyone think she has a handicap. By the time she was older, she got through some things by chance, especially when one student dies in a freak accident. Then there was the time she left the house, and jumped in a saved him from drowning. After that, she fell in love with him, not knowing he was already taken. She saw the action between him and his girl, she said the same thing, only without causing arson. Alice made changes in her appearance and she still uses her imagination to fulfill her dreams. She may have the imagination, but her determination makes her relentless to the world. This movie makes some sense, and it gives some meaning throughout. I enjoyed it very much. I owe it all to Sundance. 5 Stars!

This is, as the genre indicates here, a fantasy. There is a mix of comedy and drama within, but it is essentially a fantasy story about a young girl who possesses supernatural powers – or so we are led to believe.

Life for anybody, each day, is a succession of events, is it not? So also with this film where we first see the girl, Alisa (Anastasiya Dontsova), as an eight year old, passing through various episodes of growing up at the seaside, and with dreams of being a ballerina. As the story develops in a continually episodic fashion, Alisa (now played by Masha Shalaeva), now eighteen, moves to Moscow with her mother (Mariya Sokova) and grandmother (Albina Evtushevskaya), begins the process of finding work, and discovers the good and bad sides of life in general.

So, like other movies – notably Amelie (2001) with Audrey Tautou – the viewer is treated to a series of comedic/dramatic vignettes about what can happen when a young person starts life in earnest as an adult. And, while I might compare the frenetic Tautou's acting to that of Charlie Chaplin, Masha Shalaeva, in contrast, is a female Buster Keaton par excellence: her deadpan expressions, her sly looks, the ghosts of her smiles are treats to watch and remember.

Central to the story is Alisa's belief she is prescient and can make wishes come true; central, also, is the fact she has fallen in love with a high-powered, boozy, marketing man about Moscow, Sasha (Evgeniy Tsyganov), and does her utmost to make his life more comfortable; in turn, he simple regards Alisa as his bi-weekly cleaning lady. Along the way, Alisa discovers Sasha is already hitched up with a stunning, silky, slinky blonde, Rita (Irina Skrinichenko) – a fact that simple makes Alisa try harder to make Sasha truly see her.

We all make wishes during life. Sometimes, things do come about as we hope. Most of the time, however, nothing fantastic happens. Instead, what ultimately occurs in this story brings Alisa, Sasha and the viewer back to all-too-grim reality, encapsulating, perhaps, the thought that you should be careful about what you wish for...

The production is quite professional; the photography is great, so also the editing and directing. I particularly liked the sound track. And the acting? While the supporting cast is uniformly good – notably Evgeniy Tsyganov – Masha Shaleva is not to be missed, in my opinion; I look forward to seeing her in other roles. Mention should also be made of Anastasiya Dontsova as the young Alisa.

Give this a good seven out of ten. Recommended for all.

August 25, 2012

This beautiful picture represents the loveliest trend of the modern Russian cinema (that largely consists of cheap action movies and lachrymose dramas) - a definite piece of art and a work of an Author, a story that truthfully and painfully reflects city life from the confused point of view of an outsider, dreamer, youngster. "Rusalka" is often compared to "Progulka" (2003) and "Piter FM" (2006), as in this respect these films are kindred to "Rusalka", never mentioning the fact that they all star Yevgeni Tsyganov - the new Russian Gael García Bernal type. However, watching "Rusalka" aches more than two before-mentioned pictures, for it doesn't lie for the sake of good mood. "Rusalka" is sometimes also called "Amélie Poulain in Moscow" because of the expressive and charming character of the heroine who believes that life is a beautiful and never-ending mystery; however, "Rusalka" goes farther than "Amélie", openly showing that City is not only a place of romance and unexpected adventures, but in fact a get-together of very very lonely people who find each other to remain alone. "Such things do happen in megapoles. Seriously, no big deal. Such things do happen." This might hurt.