Beanpole
Kantemir Balagov (1991) is sometimes compared to the Canadian director Xavier Dolan, who started making surprisingly original and mature films at a very young age. It is an understandable comparison; in 2015 Balagov shot the kidnapping drama Tesnota, his highly acclaimed feature debut. His multi-awarded new film Beanpole proves that his is not just a one-off success story.
1945: in Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) the years-long siege by the Germans has been lifted, leaving behind a ruined city with ravaged and weary citizens. Iya, nicknamed "Beanpole" for her long and lanky build, has not come out of the war unscathed, suffering from seizures. Since her discharge from the military due to these seizures, she has been working as a nurse, besides looking after Pashka, the young son of her army friend Masha. Shortly before Masha returns, a tragedy befalls the child, which is all the more harrowing for the fact that Masha can no longer have children because of a war wound.