017.Ubornaya Istoriya - Lyubovnaya Istoriya / Lavatory - Lovestory (Russia - 2007)

A simple but funny animation. A woman indifferently watches her days go by as she keeps a tip jar on her balcony, where she works as a lavatory attendant. She cleans up the place, goes back to her work booth, and anxiously awaits the possibility of a lover when she finds a bouquet in her tip jar. He's nowhere to be found, though. The fun resides in her frantic search for the said gentleman, the mysterious admirer who will finally give her joy in her sentimental life.


And yes, she eventually finds him.
Not bad, but not out of the ordinary.

Director: Konstantin Bronzit.

Score
Cinematography: 7.5

Acting (not present)
Editing: 7.0
Sound: 6.5
Text (not present)

Average Score: 7.0

012. Vozvrashcheniye/The Return (Russia - 2003)

A film about family disintegration is intense enough. The Return has a superb framing - and photography in general -, and an appeal for many audiences, I suppose. What the director realised is that he could utilise this complex nucleus of three characters (the father and the 2 sons) and make it into a bubble about to burst; three opposite personalities and often collide and expose common dilemmas of family life. Ivan never abandons his pride and infantile anger, whereas Andrei carries a submissive and less conflictive demeanour, and the father tries to rule over them both, ultimately regretting being a careful father figure. Too late, as cruel films often portray. Good film, if one does not quite consider the bizarre actings in the climatic scenes.

Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev.

Score:
Cinematography: 9.5

Acting: 7.5
Editing: 8.5
Sound: 7.5
Text: 8.5

Average score: 8.3