Aleksandra

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Aleksandra

2008

1h 35m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

56 Reviews

69%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Elderly Aleksandra (Galina Vishnevskaya) visits her Russian soldier grandson, Denis (Vasily Shevtsov), at the Chechen war front, providing comfort as she tours his army base. While there, Aleksandra surprises everyone by climbing into an armored vehicle and brandishing a Kalashnikov rifle. Afterward, venturing outside, she meets a Chechen woman in town who bemoans the number of occupying troops, then has other adventures. All the while, Denis ponders the reason for her unexpected appearance.

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Critics Consensus

At once ethereal and tangible, Aleksandr Sokurov's humane Chechen War drama features a spectacular turn by opera star Galina Vishnevskay.

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J. R. Jones

Chicago Reader

Oct 24, 2008

At least one critic has called this Sokurov's most political film, but on its deepest level it considers not a particular war but the complex feelings between mothers and the young men they send out into the world to kill or be killed.

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Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

Sep 26, 2008

4/5

Sokurov is able to say things about the terrible conflict without obvious polemic but to the maximum possible effect. That's largely why he is one of the most audacious and original directors in the world today.

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Anthony Quinn

Independent (UK)

Sep 26, 2008

2/5

His sepia images of war's futility are beautiful, and Vishnevskaya's face is a compelling one, but they cannot compensate for the soporific anti-narrative.

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Ellie Lucas

From the Front Row

Jul 6, 2019

3.5/4

A rich and rewarding film, a deeply humanist work of art that is as tender as it is bracing.

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Michael Sicinski

Cinema Scope

Nov 27, 2017

Alexandra is a film made by someone who wants to talk, which is an admirable gesture. It's just not the correct one.

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Daniel Kasman

MUBI

Nov 17, 2017

The film had so beautifully evoked this tenor of decamped emotional ties, of a people cared for forever traveling away from home, by conflating the grandmother's searching familial love with the isolated, forlorn faces of the soldiers...

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Sep 30, 2015

An elderly woman takes a train trip to visit her grandson at his army camp inside Chechnya. The brief synopsis completely covers the entire plot of the picture. Very little else happens apart from some slightly strange sexual tension. The film is well shot though.

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Feb 17, 2015

Sokurov was a genius in his pieces on the Hermitage and the Japanese emperor. Here he takes us on a slow journey to prove that the Russians shouldn't be in Grozny. For once the master storytelling seems unable to make the compelling case.

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Apr 27, 2014

Once again, I find myself at odds with critics. Whilst the message of the film is strong and good the idea of watching a Russian grandmother walkaround a Russian army base for 90 minutes giving out her views to anyone who listens aint my idea of a good film

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May 15, 2013

My second Sukoruv film and although it doesn't dazzle like Russian Ark it is incredibly poignant. Slow and melancholy with plenty to engage with.

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Reza K

@RT94169370 Jul 19, 2012

its the proof of that how your rhythm could be slow but not boring. a war film but different from all other ones that you watched till now.

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Apr 5, 2012

An entertaining meditation on the relationship one grandmother has on her grandson, as she is with him while he is engaged in military duty.

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Aleksandr Sokurov

Director

Galina Vishnevskaya

Alexandra

Vasily Shevtsov

Denis

Raisa Gichaeva

Malika

Aleksandr Sokurov

Writer

Laurent Danielou

Producer

Import/Export

87%

76%

Import/Export

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Winged Creatures

45%

29%

Winged Creatures

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Boy A

90%

87%

Boy A

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Synopsis

Elderly Aleksandra (Galina Vishnevskaya) visits her Russian soldier grandson, Denis (Vasily Shevtsov), at the Chechen war front, providing comfort as she tours his army base. While there, Aleksandra surprises everyone by climbing into an armored vehicle and brandishing a Kalashnikov rifle. Afterward, venturing outside, she meets a Chechen woman in town who bemoans the number of occupying troops, then has other adventures. All the while, Denis ponders the reason for her unexpected appearance.

Director: Aleksandr Sokurov
Producer: Laurent Danielou
Screenwriter: Aleksandr Sokurov
Distributor: Cinema Guild
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Russian
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 26, 2008, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 18, 2010
Runtime: 1h 35m

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