The latest drama by Sergei Loznitsa, a master documentarian known for chronicling modern history, was screened in the Competition section at the Cannes Film Festival. The film is adapted from a novella by physicist Georgy Demidov, who suffered under Soviet communist rule. It tells the story of a young prosecutor determined to uncover corruption and pursue justice during Stalin’s Great Purge. Despite the complex web operating beneath the surface, the film has a simple structure: the first half takes place over several hours in a prison, and the second half follows a business trip to Moscow. While a critical gaze underlies the film, its focus is less on accusation and more on witnessing. The gray-toned walls, doors, and hallways exude the scent of surveillance, torture, and fear, etched into the viewer’s every cell. Once you understand what kind of era you are living in, asking what should be done becomes a natural next step. The real challenge lies in how one accepts the truth of failure when personal beliefs are shattered and revolutions are corrupted. This is a chilling, stripped-down work that removes all traces of the black humor present in Loznitsa’s earlier fiction film Donbass (2018).
Programme note by LEE Yong Cheol
Stills4
Screenings3
Fri, 09/19
16:0018:25
Busan Cinema Center Cinema 1
084Guest Q&AKE, Korean subtitles + English subtitles or English dialogue
Sat, 09/20
16:3018:55
Busan Cinema Center Cinema 1
167Guest Q&AKE, Korean subtitles + English subtitles or English dialogue
Thu, 09/25
16:3018:30
Busan Cinema Center Haneulyeon Theatre
556KE, Korean subtitles + English subtitles or English dialogue
Film details
Director
Sergei LOZNITSA
Country/Region
France, Germany, Netherlands, Latvia, Romania, Lithuania
Main posterzh-hantMain poster for zh-hantzh-hant-hkMain poster for zh-hant-hkenMain poster for encaMain poster for cacsMain poster for csdeMain poster for deelMain poster for elesMain poster for esfrMain poster for frheMain poster for heitMain poster for itkoMain poster for konlMain poster for nlplMain poster for plptMain poster for ptroMain poster for rosvMain poster for svcsdedeelenenesesfrfrkokosv
Audience stickers
0 eligible stickers
No stickers yet
Showing 0 representative anonymous stickers. Position and shape do not affect scoring; preferences are counted once per verified person.
