DOVLATOV
O.V. in Russian subtitled in Spanish and English
A week in the life of the banned writer Dovlatov is more than enough for Alexey German Jr. (Under Electric Clouds) to paint with ease a portrait of Russia in the 70s, of the literary culture and the artist’s condition in those surroundings, in a political film that is both astute and has an acid sense of humour. Dolatov’s causticity doesn’t win him friends at the magazine where he works, and which is devoted to soft soaping communism, nor at the rigid writers’ union. Nor does it make it easy for his texts to be published or for the relationship with his wife to go smoothly. It’s a tragi-comedy at a crossroads between rebellion and acceptance. Dovlatov only longs to be able to write. Award for Artistic Contribution at the Berlinale.
Direction: Alexey German Jr.
Script: Alexey German Jr., Yulia Tupikina
Cinematography: Lukasz Zal
Editing: Sergey Ivanov, Darya Gladysheva
Sound: Ivan Gusakov
Cast: Milan Marić, Danila Kozlovsky, Helena Sujecka, Artur Beschastny, Anton Shagin, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Elena Lyadova.
Production: Andrey Savelyev, Artem Vasilyev, Konstantin Ernst
Production Company: SAGa films, Metrafilms, First Channel
Alexey German Jr.
Born in Moscow in 1976, Alexei German Jr., (in effect, son of Alexei German) grew up in St. Petersburg. He studied at the VGIK in Moscow, a period when he made short films such as Little Fools (2001). His first feature film, The Last Train (2003), was selected for the Rotterdam Festival, where it won the Amnesty Award, and for Venice, where it received a Special Mention from the Jury for the Best First Film. It was followed by Garpastum (2005), premiered at Venice, and Paper Soldier (2008), which was supported by the Hubert Bals Fund and won a Silver Lion at Venice for Best Director. Under Electric Clouds (2015), part of the Official Section at the Seville Festival, won a Silver Bear at the Berlinale for Best Photography, where Dovlatov, his latest film, won the Award for Artistic Contribution.