The
Russians are Coming! THE FATHER at Upstate Films
by Jay Blotcher
As the center of the film, Alexi Guskov does all the heavy
emotional lifting. His sensitive face recalls a cross between
Sam Neill and Klaus Maria Brandauer. Both a sinner and a self-righteous
man, his Officer Ivanov registers the array of shocks and
regrets that drive this soldier back home to a world he now
fears. Even as he rails against his wife’s infidelity,
the officer must face his own decisions and whether he wants
to embrace a future with Masha. A tad soapy perhaps, but still
an engaging dilemma. His multilayered performance, which triumphs
even during some histrionic passages, is no accident; back
home, Guskov is a leading Russian actor, frequently lauded
for roles in more than 70 feature films and theater pieces.
Director Ivan Solovov is also a national treasure; he has
written and helmed more than forty documentary and feature
films as well as prospering in television. He is also the
founder of Mentor Cinema, Russia’s leading film studio.
If The Father carries itself like a classic from its opening
frames, perhaps too knowingly, that pomposity will be soon
forgiven. Moreover, the rickety English subtitle translation,
rife with awkward grammatical constructions, possesses its
own charm. As this keenly observed character study and history
lesson unfurls, you will begin to see an understated brilliance
in the naturalistic performances, even by the youths who play
the children of the returning officer. The Father may not
dislodge Potemkin, Zhivago or Reds from your list of Russian-themed
film classics, but it certainly merits your attention.
CONTINUE...
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