Another Year

The protagonists of Another Year are Igor and Zhenya, a married couple who share passionate feelings for one another but whose social status stands between them. He drives a taxi, while she has a fashionable job in a modern corporation. Whenever the camera is on Igor, an entire cross-section of Russian society is portrayed: the haughty bourgeoisie, eternally dissatisfied oligarchs, and the working class, trying to scrape together every penny they can. This is old Russia, whose image still lingers in the consciousness of European viewers. When the camera is on Zhenya, on the other hand, we have an opportunity to see the new Russia, represented by young people following Western fashions, listening to American music, drinking expensive alcohol, and using drugs. These two worlds appear to be irreconcilable. Another Year is like an X-ray of the characters’ feelings: their insecurities, complexes, confusion, and weaknesses. The director manages to capture a vulnerable point in their lives when they have to choose between the monotonous stability of a relationship and the emotions of loneliness.  

Artur Zaborski