The 28-year-old Russian director Kantemir Balagov won Un Certain Regard’s Best Director prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for this richly burnished, occasionally harrowing rendering of the persistent scars of war. Beanpole movie released out in the UK Wednesday, January 29, 2020 limited.
Synopsis
In post-WWII Leningrad, two women, Iya and Masha (astonishing newcomers Viktoria Miroshnichenko and Vasilisa Perelygina), intensely bonded after fighting side by side as anti-aircraft gunners, attempt to readjust to a haunted world. As the film begins, Iya, long and slender and towering over everyone—hence the film’s title—works as a nurse in a shell-shocked hospital, presiding over traumatized soldiers. A shocking accident brings them closer and also seals their fates.
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Reviews
On review website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 7.95/10.
On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating “universal acclaim”
