Барак
Russia, Germany
Synopsis
Olga gradually settles into the life of this little community, with its joys and sorrows, romantic intrigues and a multitude of incidents, each trying to bury their oppressive past and live with relative insouciance. Jora for example is involved with a blonde widow, mother of two, who becomes his mistress and model; without her knowledge, he sells nude photos of her, and also organizes a major network to srnuggle vodka„ distilled by the couple next door. Olga attends her first ball, organizes a little party in honour of Polina , and gradually cedes to handsome Alexei's gentle but persistent courtship. Individual destinies, moments of intimacy and scenes of communal life succeed one another. Culminating in a final featuring three marriages, a birth and a funeral. Through a myriad of tiny details interspersed with dream sequences, Valerij Ogorodnikov portrays a gallery of tender-hearted, serious and crazy characters, affected by history while somehow living outside it and who now see themselves more as "people from barracks" than Russians of Germans. Adapted from a short story by Victor Petrov "Barak" — a film "dedicated to our parents" — is a tragi-comic portrait of the world of every-day provincial life in rural Russia just after the death of Stalin.
Director's Statement
Director's Biography
Cast & Crew
Directed by: Valerij Ogorodnikov
Written by: Viktor Petrov, Valerij Ogorodnikov
Produced by: Leonid Yarmolnik, Stanislav Arkhipov, Valerij Ogorodnikov, Rolf Jaster
Cinematography: Yury Klimenko
Editing: Valerij Ogorodnikov
Production Design: Vera Zelinskaya, Viktor Ivanov
Costume Design: Galina Deeva
Make-Up & Hair: Olga Smirnova
Cast: Nina Usatova (Polina), Natalya Egorova (Lipa), Leonid Yarmolnik (Yora), Yevgeny Sidikhin (Bolotin), Yulia Svezhakova (Olga), Irina Senotova (Klaudia)
Nominations and Awards
- European Cinematographer 2000
- Feature Film Selection 2000