Loveless
Composite Score: 83.8
Starring: Maryana Spivak, Aleksey Rozin, Matvey Novikov, Marina Vasileva, Andris Keiss, Aleksey Fateev, Sergey Borisov, and Natalya Potapova
Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Writers: Oleg Negin and Andrey Zvyagintsev
Genres: Drama, Mystery
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexuality, graphic nudity, language, and a brief disturbing image
Box Office: $3.93 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Loveless is Andrey Zvyagintsev’s film about a divorcing couple whose twelve-year-old son goes missing as a result of their negligence during their relational conflict. The film stars Maryana Spivak and Aleksey Rozin as Zhenya and Boris, the parents at the center of this borderline allegorical family drama/procedural mystery. The film was nominated for the Oscar for Best International Feature at the 90th Academy Awards, losing out to Sebastian Lelio’s A Fantastic Woman, which also has a review on the blog. Loveless provides a soul-crushing look at the impact of divorce on families (not for cause), couched in a wider examination of the state of “modern” (six years ago) Russia. Its excellent cinematography and unique take on the typical structure of procedural mysteries have turned it into an instant classic in the world of film.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
Lawless is not a film seeking to leave you feeling optimistic about relationships or the current state of the world. It is aggressively cynical and only rarely in a self-deprecating sort of way. Most of the film focuses on its protagonists’ refusal to change the things that make them terrible spouses and parents, paralleling that stubbornness to that of modern society – a society that is self-absorbed, making no progress (perhaps even regressing in places), and with very little hope on the horizon. While I don’t necessarily disagree with everything that Zvyagintsev is trying to say in his film, I do feel that this is one of those best watched in the proper setting. This is not the film to pull you out of a depressive funk or to drive you to seek change in the world around you. It is the film to remind you of why those things are so difficult to accomplish in the first place. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t watch it – it’s really good. Just be aware of what that experience entails before jumping right in.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Zvyagintsev has done an excellent job of blending the genres he seeks to emulate in Loveless, taking the atmosphere and backstory of a mystery thriller and combining it with the characters and pacing of a family drama. His cinematography, shooting lingering scenes of grey buildings and snowy forests and empty schoolyards evokes feelings of a Fincher-esque thriller (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or Zodiac), while the heavy arguments and lack of urgency on the part of the film’s central characters feel more like something out of Kramer vs. Kramer or Marriage Story. Dissonant as those two ideas sound, Zvyagintsev has gotten them to work in beautiful harmony here in Loveless. The mystery serves not so much as the central story of the film but instead as a catalyst for the audience to find hope, not just for the protagonists but for all of society, if only Alyosha (Alexey) can be found or Zhenya and Boris can reconcile or (most unlikely of all) both. The genres serve, in this case, not as archetypes or frameworks for the characters or story but as familiar ideas for the audience to grasp onto before diving into the devastating story that is Loveless.
With its message of neglect (both of children and society) at the center, Loveless’s blended genres of mystery and divorce drama allow the filmmakers to force the audience into a place of self-examination, accomplishing their goals while also making an all-time great film. Its deeply saddening nature will probably keep this from being a film many people see more than once, but the truths at its heart remain no less poignant and impactful. This film is currently available to rent on most streaming services if you’d like to watch it at some point in the near future.
