Izgnanie (2007)

Director:

Andrei Zvyagintsev

Writers:

William Saroyan (book) and
Artyom Melkumian (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

23 November 2007 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

If you want to kill, kill. If you want to forgive, forgive.

Plot:

A trip to the pastoral countryside reveals a dark, sinister reality for a family from the city. |

Plot Keywords:

Children | Abortion | Family Crisis | Funeral | Rural

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Konstantin Lavronenko	...	Alex
Aleksandr Baluyev	...	Mark
Maksim Shibayev	...	Kir
Maria Bonnevie	...	Vera
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yekaterina Kulkina		(as Katya Kulkina)
Yelena Lyadova	...	Vera (voice)
Andrey Shibarshin	...	Max
Dmitri Ulyanov

Directed by
Andrei Zvyagintsev

Writing credits
William Saroyan		book "The Laughing Matter" and
Artyom Melkumian		screenplay
Oleg Negin		writer

Produced by
Dmitri Lesnevsky	....	producer
Yelena Loginova	....	executive producer
Anthony Rey	....	executive producer: France and Belgium

Original Music by
Andrei Dergachyov
Arvo Pärt

Cinematography by
Mikhail Krichman

Film Editing by
Anna Mass

Production Design by
Andrey Ponckratov

Art Department
Katerina Machacek	....	painter

Sound Department
Dmitri Chernov	....	sound re-recording mixer
Andrei Dergachyov	....	sound
Natalya Dmitrieva	....	sound re-recordist
Dmitri Nagorny	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ivan Titov	....	sound

Visual Effects by
Dmitry Tokoyakov	....	visual effects supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
Kevin Ahearne	....	assistant camera
Boris Bourgois	....	key grip
Julien Covens	....	grip
Alex Pugh	....	second assistant camera

Production Companies

• Hélicotronc (executive production)
• Ren-TV

Distributors

• Artificial Eye (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2008) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Audio Visual Enterprises (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Contact Film (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Pyramide Distribution (2008) (France) (theatrical)
• Barbar Film (2007) (Turkey) (all media)
• Filmfreak Distributie (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Intercinema XXI Century (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Lighthouse Pictures (2007) (Singapore) (all media)
• Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) (2009) (Germany) (TV)

Also Known As:

Изгнание (Russia)
The Banishment (International: English title)

Runtime:

157 min | Canada:150 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

Russia

Language:

Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Sweden:15 | UK:12A | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Belgium

Company:

Hélicotronc

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Metropolis: Cannes 2007 - Special" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Für Alina

Gorgeous movie

One doesn't have to be brilliant to understand Andrei Zvyagintsev's movies, still one must be very flexible with his own cultural background if interested to comprehend the images Zvyagintsev makes use of. So, my vote (10) goes especially for this aspect, with a minimal astriction for the screenplay, slightly overexposed. Altogether, the director proved he is able to move to different fields.

After The Return, I expected to see another close-to-Tarkovski picture, but it's not the case. Izgnanie rebuilds other spaces (think of the affinity for the Flemish and the Dutch painters, even if somehow altered in the old Russian manner) and distributes along the images a new and equally strong despondency. The images are just superb, with hundreds of important details in need to be discussed. My feeling is that nothing goes for the characters as they are continuously overwritten by their own disability to surpass the air they themselves have exhaled.

A must see