Izgnanie – Whose child is it anyway?
‘Alex…. I am pregnant. It is not yours’
Vera smiles coyly after this revelation, as if enjoying the moment, and reminiscing her lover. Alex and I were shocked. After twenty minutes of sweeping landscapes and cute family moments, this bomb exploded in ‘Izgnanie’ (The Banishment). It is the second feature by Andrei Zvyagintsev. Alex is devastated, I am rejoiced. The audience is sometimes a sadistic death-eater, enjoying the ‘cruciatus’ curse cast on any given K.
Gibran paints God sending forth Children arrows using Parents as bow
Your children are not your children
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you
- Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet (Read More)
Children are seldom ignorant, notwithstanding their innocence. Kir is able to sense that something is wrong. Lanky Kir has a kid sister, Eva, a beautiful angel. Their future is at stake, as a disoriented Alex wanders through the expansive landscape seeking direction. As I travel with Alex, through both the cape of mind and land alike, the vicious smile of Vera lingers in my thought. Both of us are caught in the same web of disillusionment and betrayal. After all we were conditioned, by this world, to think so.
What follows is a Bergman meets Tarkovsky poem. Easily this is one of the most important films of this decade, from the very promising director of the critically decorated ‘The Return’ . Zvyagintsev taps them emotions raw in this much lesser acclaimed piece. Extremely rigorous and remorseless is Artyom Melkumian’s script that it makes the film a difficult viewing, which I enjoy the most, when someone challenges my emotional tranquility. On a different note, it can even test the patience of the mythical ‘average filmgoer’ (a sobriquet of an excuse to represent and justify the Hollywood/Bollywood fan, who complains on a film not jumping to another glossy sequence or evocative dialogue every other second). It is the deft combining of technique and artistry with such aplomb that one is left spellbound.
Alex returns back home to Vera from his wandering, but both cannot confront the issue. He never really does. When they actually start discussing, Alex pops up the wrong question.
‘Do you love him?’ The masochistic insecurity, exclusive quality of men, always expects a favorable answer, in this case a ‘No’, when he really knows it would be otherwise.
Vera lets out the strange fleeting smile again and follows it up with an ambiguous ‘I don’t know how to explain?’
Amazing portrayal by the two leads is a feast. Konstantin Lavronenko is exemplary in the Cannes ‘07 ‘Best Actor’ winning role. Just after watching two films of his, Konstantin Lavronenko (‘The Return’ and ‘The Banishment’), is fast becoming a favorite. I am looking forward lay hands on his ‘Novaya Zemlya’ . The principal child actors are excellent. But the film belongs to Maria Bonnevie (Hollywood buffs, I agree, she appeared in 13th Warrior). Maria, along with the director, creates an atmosphere of enigma around Vera that drives the film towards its goal. The support cast are at ease. Special mention needs to be made of Alexander Baluyev who plays Mark.
Mark, Alex’s elder brother, was my prime suspect of adultery and probably Alex’s too, though he never spelt it out. But events that followed, and some astute observation by Kir leads us to another direction. Mark ends up playing the practical street wisdom. ‘It’s like a card game. You play the card you are dealt’. He urges Alex to decide, either kill her or forgive her. But forget it once and for all, whatever may be the decided choice.
Maria Bonnevie with lead actor, Lavronenko and director, Zvyagintsev
Photography is at its best. Zvyagintsev’s Tarkovskyesque approach means romantic camera movements by Mikhail Krichman. Nature plays supporting role throughout, even provides a beautiful ‘Item Number’ featuring the obvious ‘flowing water’ long take. The music fortunately, for my preferences on such a theme, does not follow the eerie pattern chosen by the yesteryear’s master. The pupil cleverly keeps the background score minimal, simple and unimaginative. In effect, leaves room for a clean absorption of natural sounds, which literally puts you in the plot. Editing is exceptional in a few occasions, and otherwise keeps up with the lifelike pace of the film.
The tale continues on a tough terrain that you, Alex and Vera will have to trail, leaving you shattered, astonished, tricked, insipid or contented depending on how you take it. The character play, climactic moments and basic theme can be traced back to a few films of Ingmar Bergman, but naming them would lead us approximately to the plot, hence I refrain. This film is a treat for the fans of two erstwhile masters, probably a tribute by an up and coming one. In any case, I am eagerly looking forward to Zvyagintsev’s next.
Tags: Andrei Tarkovsky, Andrei Zvyaginstev, Cannes 2007, Ingmar Bergman, Inzgnanie, Kahlil Gibran, Konstantin Lavrenko, Maria Bonnevie
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Awesome da.. I liked the way in which you have left the plot open leaving the reader curious…
I might never see the movies you recommend/write about, but never fail to read absolutely every single line you write – It is insightful! every word well thought of and written.
Now coming back to our films handling such a complex theme, I can identify what is there in these ‘foreign’ movies that ours are lacking – The absolute refusal to take sides on deciding who is the reason or causative. We always look at things like relationship and effects as causal (the other person did this and that) while we understand and accept it as a part of worldly wisdom that things happen at random and the bigger design is still not clear. This dichotomy is what makes things like Love, friendship and love such great subjects of literature and films – If only the maker is sincere to them!!!