The Dry Valley (2011) Sukhodol
The Dry Valley (2011)
DVDRip | AVI | 704 x 384 | XviD @ 1895 Kbps | 88 min | 1,53 Gb
Audio: Russian AC3 5.1 @ 448 Kbps | Subs (srt): English, Spanish
Genre: Drama, Romance
DVDRip | AVI | 704 x 384 | XviD @ 1895 Kbps | 88 min | 1,53 Gb
Audio: Russian AC3 5.1 @ 448 Kbps | Subs (srt): English, Spanish
Genre: Drama, Romance
The Dry Valley is the first full feature film by Alexandra Strelyanaya. The film is based on the famous novel written by Nobel Prize laureate Ivan Bunin.
This story unites the destinies of the landowners and their servants, and is considered to be one of the most complete portraits of the Russian life in the late XIX century. It takes place in Dry Valley, a village owned by the noble family of Khrushevs. The story tells about Natalia, a young and naive girl who serves in their country house. We see and experience her love, dedication to her masters, mysticism, exile, betrayal and faith, while the Dry Valley is falling to pieces, slowly but inevitably, as well as the lives of its inhabitants.
The film is an almost impressionistic adaptation of the source material with very striking baroque magery.
Like many Russian movies from a wonderful new wave impressed by Tarkovsky, "The Dry Valley" is a visual delight. Angles making landscapes come alive, lens focuses bring colors and interest to levels of a Grand Master's painting.
The plot summary misses the movie severely. The initial dialogue establishes the whole movie as a look back on youth and coming of age by a woman well on in years. Look at her hands! Some very humorous insights to the human conditions of 19th century Russia are subtly addressed with a young woman and her uncle's observations of the fictions communities will develop to explain and endure their country existences. Respecting the various religious inclinations of many people is handled with grace and humility. The exorcism scene is truthful to the Eastern Orthodox traditions, as are the gentle acceptances of individual uniqueness. It is wonderful to see Yana Esipovich extend her quite capable acting to more extensive investigations, than certainly you saw in "The Island", also a spirituality dominant film. Watch this one several times, as you would a Tarkovsky film. Director and Writer Alexandra Strelyanaya shows impressive depth in her insights and directing.IMDB Reviewer
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The Dry Valley (2011) Sukhodol
