Wednesday, June 13, 2012

ELENA (2012) F-

Russian subtitles. 

Absolutely horrid movie. I use the word "movie" loosely because all that was shown (in slow motion) was some people on a film with no story attached. No character development, no nothing except a doting mother indulging her grown son. Very ugly.

Unfortunately, Sandy and I went to see it because it was highly rated by Rotten Tomatoes. This was the AMAZING write up in Rotten Tomatoes: (93% of the critics liked it.) 

Winner of Cannes' Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize: Elena is a gripping, modern twist on the classic noir thriller. Sixty-ish spouses Vladimir and Elena uneasily share his palatial Moscow apartment-he's a still-virile, wealthy businessman; she's his dowdy former nurse who has clearly "married up." Estranged from his own wild-child daughter, Vladimir openly despises his wife's freeloading son and family. But when a sudden illness and an unexpected reunion threaten the dutiful housewife's potential inheritance, she must hatch a desperate plan.... Masterfully crafted by award-winning Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev (Golden Globe nominee The Return) and featuring evocative, Hitchcockian music by Philip Glass, Elena is a subtly stylish exploration of crime, punishment and human nature.

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