5 reasons to watch Kirill Serebrennikov's latest movie ‘Tchaikovsky's Wife'
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Loading... - Jeffrey McKay
- 12 May 2022
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The world premiere will take place in May at the Cannes Film Festival. We explain why movie buffs and classical music fans should not miss this movie.
1. The only Russian film at the Cannes Film Festival
Today, Russian independent cinema is on the rise. In recent years, only a handful of festivals did not include Russian movies in their programs. Last year, in particular, Kira Kovalenko’s drama ‘Unclenching the Fists’ (2021) won the main prize in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ program at Cannes, while Kirill Serebrennikov’s ‘Petrov’s Flu’ and Finnish director Juho Kuosmanen’s ‘Compartment Number 6’ (2021), co-produced with Russia, were also shortlisted for the main competition. The latter ended up winning the Grand Prix of the festival.
This year, Cannes has changed its selection rules for Russian films. It was officially announced that movies that were made with the participation of state budget funds will not be considered by the jury of the festival. Three works competed for participation in the festival. The selectors of the parallel program ‘Directors’ Fortnight’ had, until the last moment, planned to include in the list of participants the film ‘A bird is looking for a cage’ by Sokurov’s student Malika Musayeva, filmed in the Chechen language.
2. Boldly about the Russian classics
Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s homosexuality is a well-known fact. However, demonstrating this fact in biographical works intended for a wide audience in Russia was, de facto, a taboo. Kirill Serebrennikov, however, goes off limits. The composer’s sexual preferences are depicted unambiguously - and, in general, are the central theme of the movie.
Not too many films have been made about Tchaikovsky, considered one of the pillars of world classical music. There is a good Soviet biopic by Igor Talankin titled ‘Tchaikovsky’ (1970), which is practically unknown to Russian and foreign audiences. One might also recall a movie called ‘The Music Lovers’ (1971), directed by British filmmaker Ken Russell, a fantasy on the theme of the composer’s biography. Serebrennikov goes further - judging by the published material, he creates a frank and intimate portrait of the maestro, based solely on documentary facts.
3. Cutting-edge stylistics
Serebrennikov has always been known in Russia as a trendsetter for both theater and cinema. In this sense, ‘Tchaikovsky’s Wife’ is the quintessence of his work. In the movie, progressive Berlin theater “meets” Derek Jarmens’ films.
There is a great deal of male nudity and postmodern decadence. It is probably one of the most non-conformist and aesthetic works of Russian culture in recent years. Read More…
