My Joy
A routine run for a truck driver turns into a nightmare he can't escape in this psychological drama from filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa. Georgy (Viktor Nemets) is driving a load of freight into Russia when, after an unpleasant encounter with the police at a border crossing, he finds himself giving a lift to a strange old man (Vladimir Golovin) with disturbing stories about his younger days in the army. After next picking up a young woman (Olga Shuvalova) who works as a prostitute and is wary of the territory, Georgy finds himself lost, and despite asking some homeless men for help, he's less sure than he was before of how to make his way back where he belongs. As brutal images of violence and alienation cross the screen, Georgy's odyssey becomes darker and more desperate until it reaches an unexpected conclusion. Schastye Moe (aka My Joy) was an official selection at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. more..
Director: Sergei Loznitsa
Starring: Vlad Ivanov, Viktor Nemets, Olga Shuvalova
The world of My Joy is grim, though the experience of watching it and piecing together its fragmented story strands is anything but. It's suspenseful, mysterious, at times bitterly funny, consistently moving and filled with images of a Russia haunted both by ghosts and the living dead.
My Joy has a bleak, grotesque, near-perfect poetry in its soul.
My Joy is a maddening vision and one of the year's must-see provocations.
Those schooled in Eastern European history may have better luck deciphering it, but what keeps it compelling throughout is Loznitsa's direction, which favors sophisticated long takes and particularly suspenseful use of foreground and background action. His next film should be a doozy.
Although discomfiting to audiences desiring a steady narrative thread (and less accessible to those unfamiliar with Eastern European history and culture), it sustains interest throughout as a devastating critique of Russian society.
Sergei Loznitsa
Cannes Film Festival (2010)
Best Feature
Chicago International Film Festival (2010)
Grand Prix
Molodist International Film Festival (2010)
Sergei Loznitsa
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (2010)
Best Film
Yerevan International Film Festival (2010)
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