The film has an artistic edge to it that make it aesthetically pleasing to watch. The cinematography is beautiful and has a vintage feel to it.
The storyline mostly focuses on the relationships of four main characters, the KGB general, his wife Tamara, Vlad, and Vlad's lover, Zina. The final days before the collapse of the Soviet Union help sets the tone for the movie, but the film focuses more on the interpersonal relationships of these four people and the affair that Vlad is having with the KGB General's wife, Tamara. Tamara has quite a few affairs with various men throughout the film and it does have heavy sex scenes included in the film. I thought the synopsis was a little misleading due to this as I expected it to be a little more direct and focused on the political and historical story line.
The film does move quite slow, but that could be intriguing for some viewers. As Oleg learns of the ways he's being betrayed, which was foreshadowed in the beginning of the film, the viewer is left with anticipation in what he will do to 'right the wrongs' done to him. I did feel a little bad for Zina, as she seemed to be a side character that ended up getting hurt later in the film by Vlad and his actions.
Overall, the film was good and by the end of it, I liked it but it took some time to get into and really understand. This is not the typical film style I aim to watch, but recommend for anyone looking to step outside of their comfort zone and experience something different!
The storyline mostly focuses on the relationships of four main characters, the KGB general, his wife Tamara, Vlad, and Vlad's lover, Zina. The final days before the collapse of the Soviet Union help sets the tone for the movie, but the film focuses more on the interpersonal relationships of these four people and the affair that Vlad is having with the KGB General's wife, Tamara. Tamara has quite a few affairs with various men throughout the film and it does have heavy sex scenes included in the film. I thought the synopsis was a little misleading due to this as I expected it to be a little more direct and focused on the political and historical story line.
The film does move quite slow, but that could be intriguing for some viewers. As Oleg learns of the ways he's being betrayed, which was foreshadowed in the beginning of the film, the viewer is left with anticipation in what he will do to 'right the wrongs' done to him. I did feel a little bad for Zina, as she seemed to be a side character that ended up getting hurt later in the film by Vlad and his actions.
Overall, the film was good and by the end of it, I liked it but it took some time to get into and really understand. This is not the typical film style I aim to watch, but recommend for anyone looking to step outside of their comfort zone and experience something different!