How independent Russian directors try to comprehend our life. Top examples in The Caretaker podcast

We recall the works of Balabanov, Bykov and Zvyagintsev and tell why they are worth seeing.

When faced with the phrase "Russian cinema", many immediately roll their eyes. Some viewers are accustomed to treating domestic films critically, and, alas, this is often true. But in Russia there were and are many original directors who, through the camera lens, show a reflection of reality and convey important thoughts to the viewer. Lifehacker's film critic Aleksey Khromov examines the brightest works of such masters and explains what are the main advantages of their films.

01:42 - how the national cinema has changed in the nineties and why it is “Brother” that stands out among dozens of criminal films.

02:56 - how the work of Alexei Balabanov became a symbol of the era and what does the soundtrack have to do with it.

05:23 - for which the fans fell in love with the second part of "Brother".

06:34 - "Cargo 200": rough «black» or deep truthful film.

08:08 - why Andrei Zvyagintsev's Leviathan caused so much controversy, how the plot of the film is connected with real events in the United States and why the ending of the story has changed.

13:35 - how popularity came to Yuri Bykov and what makes his film "Major" interesting.

16:08 - why "Fool" is the director's most revealing work.

17:48 - what other films did the listed authors shoot and what are their films good for.

What to see on the topic? We've compiled the movies that were mentioned in the podcast:

• "Brother", director - Alexei Balabanov, 1997.
• "Brother 2", director - Alexei Balabanov, 2000.
• "It doesn't hurt me", director - Alexei Balabanov, 2006.
• "Cargo 200", director - Alexei Balabanov, 2007.
• Return, directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2003.
• Leviathan, director - Andrey Zvyagintsev, 2014.
• "Major", director - Yuri Bykov, 2013.
• "Fool", directed by Yuri Bykov, 2014.
• "Watchman", director - Yuri Bykov, 2019.

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