Elena

2011

1h 49m

Drama

List

94%

Tomatometer

65 Reviews

73%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

Vladimir is reaching the end of his life and decides to leave his wealth to his only daughter, cutting out his wife and her son from his will.

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J. Hoberman

ARTINFO.com

Andrey Zvyagintsev is the most internationally-acclaimed Russian filmmaker to emerge during the Putin era, and his expertly directed third feature Elena is, albeit oblique, the most vivid evocation I've seen of Moscow's contemporary society.

Feb 25, 2019

Full Review

Donald Clarke

Irish Times

It's very gloomy. It's very Russian. It's as powerful as any picture released this season.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 2, 2012

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

One of the very best Russian films of the past year.

Oct 26, 2012

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

A riveting domestic thriller, an elegantly crafted glimpse into modern Russian life that speaks volumes while barely saying a word.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 6, 2019

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

A class clash potboiler, it's a simple but deliciously hypnotic narrative about wealth and the queer way it tends to push people out of their comfort zones.

Jul 24, 2019

Full Review

Molly Templeton

Eugene Weekly (OR)

Luxurious cinematography, careful choices about focus and editing, and excellent, constrained performances, particularly from [Nadezhda] Markina, give Elena much greater depths than its plot suggests.

Feb 27, 2019

Full Review

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Eberhardt61

Tight, with nothing superfluous or unnecessary. Brilliant film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/14/23

Full Review

Eithan D

The movie doesn't manage to break from it mediocrity. Though it deals with many interesting subjects (mostly it's- a late wife's love to her good husband vs her love for her looser grandson) the movie only manages to tell the story plainly without any spices and it's just boring

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

it was an art film. lots of silence. watched the interview with the director after.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Too slow and prolonged story. If this was made tighter, e.g. 60 minutes, should have been more fascinated.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Serge L

The director makes the statement that the devil you know might strike any time. The darkness is present all around. This is not Disney.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/05/21

Full Review

Audience Member

Brilliant depiction of Russian social stratification with the dramatic heart of the movie laying in the theme of an inexplicability of one's inner impulses and soul aspirations. Shot stunningly beautiful as usual by Zvyagintsev's longtime collaborator cameramen Krichman, the film is also a pure pleasure to watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

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Andrey Zvyagintsev

Director

Yelena Lyadova

Katerina

Nadezhda Markina

Elena

Aleksey Rozin

Sergey

Andrey Smirnov

Vladimir

Evgeniya Konushkina

Tatyana

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Synopsis

Vladimir is reaching the end of his life and decides to leave his wealth to his only daughter, cutting out his wife and her son from his will.

Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Producer: Alexander Rodnyansky
Screenwriter: Oleg Negin
Production Co: Non-Stop Productions
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Russian
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 12, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $228.2K
Runtime: 1h 49m

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