Beanpole

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🎙️ EPISODE 665: 03.15.23

There is a really deep and unnerving sadness at the core of this film. How the traumas of war carve something out of people that can never be repaired. And how the class structure works to spare those at the top while indiscriminately feeding the inhabitants of the lower rungs into the machine. It's a slow burn about two women struggling through this madness and despair. The titular "Beanpole" whose large stature ends up being kind of a sick joke in light of how she turns her pain inward, suffering from catatonic fits that amount to nothingness, and Masha, the feisty antithesis, counterpart, partner and perceived antagonist until we realize that she's an equal victim in this horrible mess. There are rich secondary characters and subplots to flush things out. The metaphorical use of color might seem too obvious if not for the stunning set design. It all amounts to an amazing cinematic experience with a surprisingly positive ending given the tragedies which unfold. Kantemir Balagov's second feature is easily one of the top films of 2019.

(See also Kantemir Balagov's Director Focus Page.)

CHRONOLOGICALLY
⫷ EPISODE 664 - (YOU ARE HERE) - EPISODE 666A ⫸

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Beanpole (Russian: Дылда, romanized: Dylda) is a 2019 Russian drama film directed by Kantemir Balagov. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. At Cannes, Balagov won the Un Certain Regard Best Director Award and the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film in the Un Certain Regard section. It was selected as the Russian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, making the December shortlist. The film was inspired by Svetlana Alexievich's book War's Unwomanly Face. It was released on May 16, 2019.