Summary
Paradise (Russian: Рай; Ray) is a 2016 Russian drama film produced and directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. It was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival.[2] At Venice Konchalovsky won the Silver Lion for Best Director.[3] It was selected as the Russian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.[4][5] In December 2016, it made the shortlist of nine films to be considered for a nomination at the 89th Academy Awards.[6]
| Paradise | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Andrei Konchalovsky |
| Written by | Elena Kiseleva Andrei Konchalovsky |
| Produced by | Andrei Konchalovsky, Alisher Usmanov |
| Starring | Yuliya Vysotskaya |
| Cinematography | Aleksandr Simonov |
| Edited by | Ekaterina Vesheva |
| Music by | Sergey Shustitsky |
Release date |
|
Running time | 130 minutes[1] |
| Country | Russia |
| Languages | Russian German French |
Plot edit
The film is built around the intertwining destinies of three main characters during the Second World War: aristocratic Russian émigré and member of the French Resistance Olga (Yuliya Vysotskaya), Jules (Philippe Duquesne) an administrator in the French police department and a French collaborator, and a high-ranking SS officer Helmut (Christian Clauß).
Olga is arrested for hiding Jewish children from the Nazi roundups. Her case is overseen by Jules. He is interested in her and accepts her offer of sex in exchange for the release of a Russian prisoner she knows, but Jules is murdered by the French resistance before this occurs. Olga lands in a German concentration camp. There she meets Helmut, who in the past was hopelessly in love with her. Strange and painful relations commence between them.
The Nazis are already close to defeat, and Helmut decides to save Olga from the camp and run away with her to South America. Olga, having lost hope of freedom agrees, but at the last moment realizes that her idea of paradise has changed.[7]
Cast edit
- Yuliya Vysotskaya as Olga
- Christian Clauß as Helmut
- Philippe Duquesne as Jules
- Peter Kurth as Krause
- Jakob Diehl as Vogel
- Viktor Sukhorukov as Heinrich Himmler
- Vera Voronkova as Rosa
Reception edit
Critical response edit
Paradise has an approval rating of 70% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 23 reviews, and an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Paradise hits hard and lingers, although viewers who've seen a number of other Holocaust-set dramas may find it all a bit familiar".[8] It also has a score of 52 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[9]
Accolades edit
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Venezia 73". Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- ^ "Venice Film Festival 2016". Deadline. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "Venice Film Festival: Golden Lion To 'The Woman Who Left'; Tom Ford's 'Nocturnal Animals', Emma Stone Take Major Prizes – Full List". Deadline. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
- ^ "Russia nominates 'Paradise' by Konchalovsky for best-foreign language Oscar". News.Az. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ^ Kozlov, Vladimir (20 September 2016). "Oscars: Russia Selects 'Paradise' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ^ "Oscars: Nine Films Advance in Foreign-Language Race". Variety. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
- ^ "Начались предпремьерные показы фильма Кончаловского "Рай"". TVkultura.Ru. «Государственный Интернет-Канал «Россия». 23 September 2016. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2016. Alt URL
- ^ "Paradise (Ray) (2017)" – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
- ^ "Paradise". Metacritic.
- ^ "Лауреаты премии "Золотой Орел" за 2016 год". Golden Eagle Award.
- ^ a b "Award Ceremony All The Winners". 27 November 2016. Archived from the original on 4 January 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ^ "Award Winners & Nominees". Nika Awards. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ "Winners 2017". Filmfest München.
- ^ "Chicago Film Festival: 'Sieranevada' Wins Gold Hugo for Best International Feature". The Hollywood Report. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ "Satellite Awards (2016)" (PDF). International Press Academy. IPA. 28 November 2016. pressacademy.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
External links edit
- Paradise at IMDb
- Paradise at Rotten Tomatoes
