Film

Elena is a middle-aged former nurse from a modest social background who has lived comfortably since marrying a rich older man she once took care of. When he faces another brush with death and writes a will that leaves nearly everything to his estranged daughter, Elena takes drastic measures to improve the future of her unemployed ne'er-do-well son and his family. With typically gorgeous camerawork from Zvyagintsev's DP Mikhail Krichman, this Cannes Jury Prize winner is piercing in its exploration ofRussia's widening wealth gap and moral decay in a world where people feel caged by their circumstances.

With
Apocrypha

Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev
With Carla Gugino, Quentin Mare

2009) 13min

Though not included in the theatrical release, Zvyagintsev's entry in the New York, I Love You omnibus film follows a young man filming the high rises ofManhattanand discovers that his lens has unexpectedly captured the story of a relationship between a man and a woman. A story aboutManhattanis suddenly transformed into a story about separation.