ANDREY ZVYAGINSTEV?S ?FILM NOIR? ?ELENA,? ABOUT AS APPEALING AS A STALINIST APARTMENT BLOCK
by
"?Tarantulas in a jar? may be a good metaphor for Putin?s Russia, and this kind of anthropological perspective may be the best way to observe the worst sides of ourselves, but director Andrey Zvyaginstev?s new film Elena makes the unpardonable error of using his characters to enact a kind of Marxist critique of modern Russia, rather than allowing the story to tell itself. A story should unfold through the characters, allowing their actions to inform a critique (if a critique is present) that appears to the viewer as if he had though it up himself. Unsurprisingly, the film cuts a swath as labored and toxic as heavy water..."
See full review at Le Journal de Charles Haas.