Khroustaliov, mein Wagen! (1998)

Khroustaliov, mein Wagen!: Directed by Aleksey German. With Yuriy Tsurilo, Nina Ruslanova, Mikhail Dementev, Aleksandr Bashirov. Late winter 1953. The lives of nearly half the planet are in Stalin’s hands.

“The cinematography in this film is completely original and truly inventive. Right from the beginning I could tell it was unlike anything I had ever seen before.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe first half of the film has a surreal, Dada-esque aesthetic that might be frustrating to many. I have read that Fellini was one of the inspirations for the style of the film. I stuck with it, as I was sure there must be some point to it and the challenge was to find keys to meaning. The second half of the film was less chaotic but much more brutal.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMy recommendation is to get the film on Blu-ray and first watch it without reading too much about it. Then read some of the literature assessing the filmu0026#39;s meaning and approach, then view it again with the commentary for additional insights.”