My Joy
Directed by Sergei Loznitsa
Synopsis
A truck driver takes a wrong turn and finds himself lost in a bleak Russian underworld, struggling to survive amidst increasingly violent reminders of the country’s dark history. The first fiction film by acclaimed documentarian Sergei Loznitsa, My Joy is a mischievous, ultra-nihilistic parable of post-Communist Russia, shot by master cinematographer Oleg Mutu (The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days).
Film Info
Release Year: 2010 Running Time: 128 Color Type: Color Country: France, Germany, Netherlands, Ukraine Language: Russian with English subtitles
The first fiction film by acclaimed documentarian Sergei Loznitsa, MY JOY is a haunting parable of post-Communist Russia, shot by master cinematographer Oleg Mutu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days).
Truck driver Georgy (Viktor Nemets) sets out on a provincial Russian highway for a routine delivery, but after a series of chance encounters his journey spirals out of control. A roadside police check, a talkative war veteran, and a too-young prostitute lead him to a village from which there appears to be no way out � where the locals struggle to survive a tough, elemental world, and the past holds a vise-like grip over their everyday lives. Caught in a merciless dead end, Georgy’s unexpected fate is the crux of Loznitsa’s unique and original feature debut.
Based on true stories the director encountered during his decade-long pilgrimage by road through Russia, MY JOY is a terrifying look into the abyss from an arresting new voice in feature filmmaking.
Cast
-
Aleksey Vertkov (Young Lieutenant)
Boris Kamorzin (Truck driver)
Dmitri Gotsdiner (Train Station Superintendent)
Dmitriy Gotsdiner (Commander)
Maria Varsami (Maria)
Olga Kogut (The Major's Wife)
Olga Shuvalova (Teenage prostitute)
Viktor Nemets (Georgy)
Vlad Ivanov (Major from Moscow)
Vladimir Golovin (Old Man)
Crew
- Directed by Sergei Loznitsa
- Written by Sergei Loznitsa
- Produced by Heino Deckert , Oleg Kokhan
- Cinematography by Oleg Mutu
Festivals / Awards
Official Selection: Cannes, Toronto, New York
Reviews
"Brilliant...welcome to a Russia that's rotten to it's core." - Time Out New York
"As beautiful as a bruise." - The Guardian
"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." - Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
"In the best way, My Joy expands the notion of what narrative cinema can do and can be to harrowing effect. The film is an undeniable artistic achievement that may stick in your mind longer than you'd like it to." - Landon Palmer, Film School Rejects
"My Joy is a maddening vision and one of the year's must-see provocations." - Michael Atkinson, Village Voice
"A memorable jolt of a debut" - Benjamin Mercer, The L Magazine
"The most unexpected and arresting picture in the main Cannes competition." - Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com
-
Viktor Nemets as Georgy (left)
Download Hi Res
Credit: Courtesy of Kino Lorber, Inc.
-
Olga Shuvalova as Girl Prostitute and
Viktor Nemets as Georgy
Download Hi Res
Credit: Courtesy of Kino Lorber, Inc.
-
Download Hi Res
Credit: Courtesy of Kino Lorber, Inc.
-
Viktor Nemets as Georgy (left)
Download Hi Res
Credit: Courtesy of Kino Lorber, Inc.
-
Download Hi Res
Credit: Courtesy of Kino Lorber, Inc.
-
Download Hi Res
Credit: Courtesy of Kino Lorber, Inc.
-
Download Hi Res
Credit: Courtesy of Kino Lorber, Inc.
-
Viktor Nemets as Georgy
Download Hi Res
Credit: Courtesy of Kino Lorber, Inc.
-
Download Hi Res
Credit: Courtesy of Kino Lorber, Inc.
-
Viktor Nemets as Georgy
Download Hi Res
Credit: Courtesy of Kino Lorber, Inc.
