Tchaikovsky's Wife
Tchaikovsky's Wife (Russian: Жена Чайковского, romanized: Zhena Chaikovskogo) is a 2022 Russian biographical drama film written and directed by Kirill Serebrennikov, starring Alyona Mikhaylova and Odin Biron.[1][2] The film is a participant in the competition program of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.[3][4]
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Directed by | Kirill Serebrennikov |
Written by | Kirill Serebrennikov |
Produced by |
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Running time | 145 minutes |
Countries | Russia France Switzerland |
Language | Russian |
Premise
Set in the Russian Empire during the second half of the 19th century, the film is about the wife of the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. She cannot accept her husband's homosexuality and as a result, gradually loses her mind.[5]
Cast
- Alyona Mikhaylova as Antonina Miliukova, Tchaikovsky's wife
- Odin Biron as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Yuliya Aug as a crazy old woman
- Miron Fyodorov as Nikolai Rubinstein
- Alexander Gorchilin as Anatoliy Brandukov
- Filipp Avdeyev as a doctor
- Varvara Shmykova
- Vladimir Mishukov as Shlykov
- Andrey Burkovsky as Vladimir Meshchersky
- Maksim Emelyanov
- Ekaterina Ermishina
- Viktor Khorinyak as Peter Jurgenson
Release
The film was presented at the 75th Cannes Film Festival's main competition on May 18, 2022 (Day 2).[6] In the context of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, European Film Academy president Agnieszka Holland criticised the decision to screen a Russian film at the Cannes' main competition, noting that Kirill Serebrennikov "used [the film's festival press conference] to praise a Russian oligarch and compare the tragedy of Russian soldiers to Ukrainian defenders. I would not give him such a chance at this very moment".[7]
Reception
Film critic Zinaida Pronchenko negatively assessed the film: "One continuous ridiculous metaphor of the Russian world".[8]
Tchaikovsky's Wife has an approval rating of 86% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 28 reviews, and an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's critical consensus states, "If at times opaquely and certainly prolongedly, Tchaikovski's Wife elegantly captures a heartbroken woman's obsession with her prominent spouse who struggled with his own censured sexuality".[9] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 49 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[10]
See also
References
- «Бюллетень кинопрокатчика»: Каннский фестиваль рассмотрит для участия фильмы трех российских режиссеров
- «Жену Чайковского» Серебренникова и «Сказку» Сокурова могут показать в Каннах
- Фильм Серебренникова «Жена Чайковского» вошёл в основной конкурс Каннского кинофестиваля
- "Russian Directors Confront Fleeing Putin's War and Defy Calls for Russia Film Boycott". Variety.
- Жена Чайковского (2022)
- Valerie Hopkins (May 18, 2022). "With Tchaikovsky's Wife, Kirill Serebrennikov tackles a Russian taboo". The New York Times.
- Holdsworth, Nick (May 21, 2022). "European Film Academy President Agnieszka Holland Slams Cannes for Welcoming a Russian Movie". Variety.
- Zinaida, Pronchenko (June 30, 2022). "Цвет несвободы: о чём фильм "Жена Чайковского" Кирилла Серебренникова". Афиша Daily.
- Tchaikovsky's Wife — Rotten Tomatoes
- Tchaikovsky's Wife — Metacritic