I saw this film last night, and I must say it completely captivated me. Two bizarre men, Johan and Ivan, who photograph women being whipped, infiltrate their way into two upper-class families.
The photography is fantastic and the sepia tones are captivating. St. Petersburg looks like it has come alive from circa 1910, as do all of the shots of buildings and towns. Parts of the film are shot in "silent film" style, and I wouldn't have minded if it was silent -- visually, it's stunning and completely worth your hour and a half of time just as a silent film. In addition, the acting is great (as someone else said, great facial acting: the camera often lingers on a character's face for a lengthy shot). Each actor seems perfect in their unique role. I don't want to give anything away, but these actors will surprise you with their characters. And of course, the acting hangs on the writing, which is brilliant. The dialogue is incredibly sparse and minimal and yet moves the story along rather quickly. I couldn't ask for more. As for the spanking, there is a lot of it in this movie. The scenes are somewhat erotic, more often they're shocking and funny. if this would disturb you, stay away from this film. If you have a good sense of humor or just enjoy it, then feel free. Lastly, Balbanov is a great director (if you have not seen Grus-200, do so as soon as you can!) and a gifted writer. His stories of Russian life ring with a quality of realism...some tend to see an allegory for soviet life in his work. Perhaps that's true for this film as well...
The photography is fantastic and the sepia tones are captivating. St. Petersburg looks like it has come alive from circa 1910, as do all of the shots of buildings and towns. Parts of the film are shot in "silent film" style, and I wouldn't have minded if it was silent -- visually, it's stunning and completely worth your hour and a half of time just as a silent film. In addition, the acting is great (as someone else said, great facial acting: the camera often lingers on a character's face for a lengthy shot). Each actor seems perfect in their unique role. I don't want to give anything away, but these actors will surprise you with their characters. And of course, the acting hangs on the writing, which is brilliant. The dialogue is incredibly sparse and minimal and yet moves the story along rather quickly. I couldn't ask for more. As for the spanking, there is a lot of it in this movie. The scenes are somewhat erotic, more often they're shocking and funny. if this would disturb you, stay away from this film. If you have a good sense of humor or just enjoy it, then feel free. Lastly, Balbanov is a great director (if you have not seen Grus-200, do so as soon as you can!) and a gifted writer. His stories of Russian life ring with a quality of realism...some tend to see an allegory for soviet life in his work. Perhaps that's true for this film as well...