Prix Nika du meilleur film de la CEI et des pays baltes, 2006
Plot synopsis
Tragicomic drama in two short
stories from the life of people.
On a theatre stage an actor has
hung himself. Somehow a stage
worker gets involved in the case. But
the actor’s body in the sling is by far
not the most fascinating intrigue that
is capturing the attention of the
troupe. It is impossible to see where
the series of events will lead and
how many deaths await the troupe...
An aging lady’s man cannot reconcile
himself with loneliness. He has
everything, except for the women
of his life, and he is ready to search
for her until the end, or death. The
only woman close to him is his
patient daughter. Unable to cope
with her fate, she brings along her
friend, a simple working girl of the
tram depot…
Source : www.moscowfilmfestival.ru
Stylised and thoughtful absurdist two-part film by the Ukrainian maestro Muratova. Part one is set entirely in the theatre, part two is about a decadent man and his lusts. With roles for our favourite Russian actors Renata Litvinova and Alexander Bashirov.
In Two in One, by Ukrainian master Kira Muratova, we find the basic elements that played a role in her major previous films. Crime, corpses, expressive and theatrical acting (this time also shot in an existing theatre), specific, moving camera shots - and her long time co-workers are all back, in a more intense, invigorating form.
As the title suggests, the film consists of two parts which are inseparably intertwined with allusions, references and characters. The first part, Stagehands, follows the preparations of a theatre group for the evening performance of a play. The very beginning, when one of the actors (Alexander Bashirov) finds the corpse of his colleague on the set, sets the absurdist tone for everything that follows. The second part, A Woman for Life (written by Renata Litvinova, who also plays one of the female characters), follows smoothly - only the main characters and their handling are different. The plot revolves around a bourgeois, decadent older man who has incest fantasies about his daughter and some real-time sexual dreams with a friend of his daughter's.
Two in One is a highly-developed piece of art that demands an attentive and active audience capable of following all of the details, suggestions and allusions. A real treat for the fans of Muratova’s work. (LC)
Source : www.moscowfilmfestival.ru