The Criterion Cast

Fantastic Fest 2010 Preview: Johan Lundborg and Johan Storm’s Corridor (Isolerad)

Ryan Gallagher — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:30:01 +0000

Despite whatever goals I set out for myself with this blog, I always manage to disappoint myself. When I set out to preview most of the films for Fantastic Fest, I thought I could do two a night, for the next few weeks, and manage to get through the list. No problem, right? Well life intervened, and here we are, a day late, previewing a movie who’s trailer makes it look to be not all that original, but at the same time terrifyingly awesome.

Tonight we’re looking at the trailer for Johan Lundborg and Johan Storm’s 2009 film, Corridor:

Lonely medical student Frank is pleased with his flat, a quiet place to focus on his coming exams. But when he meets the girl upstairs, his peace and quiet, his sanity and his possibly even his life become jeopardized.

What I love about these types of movies, are the potential simplicity found in the trailer. What would happen if the girl next door’s boyfriend thought you were fooling around with his lady? He would terrify you, that’s what. While it might not be clear in the trailer below, that terrifying neighbor looks to be the incredible Peter Stormare (while he has been in dozens of incredible movies over the past couple decades, his only direct Criterion connection is from Armageddon). I really hope that this movie is ground down to that core idea, and doesn’t stray too far from that claustrophobic hallway.

With all of the amazing Asian cinema hitting Fantastic Fest this year, it’s nice to see some European genre being represented. While I’m most likely going to say this for every movie I choose to preview for this series, I cannot wait to see this one.

Again, tickets are going fast, but you can still get in by purchasing day passes, so head to Fantastic Fest.com for more details on how you can see these films. There aren’t any scheduled screenings this early on, but we’ll be sure to let you know when they start up.

CriterionCast – Disc 2 – Episode 048.5 – On The Screen And Summer Movie Wrap-Up

Rudie Obias — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:22:59 +0000

Disc 2 episodes are bonus/supplement episodes of The CriterionCast. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher & James McCormick ramble on and on about movies and movie experiences. “On The Screen” is where they discuss anything and everything that has been on their screens in the week. So anything from TV & movies to music & web junk, everything “On The Screen” is up for grabs. This is what they recommend to you, their listeners.

What do you think of their show? Please send them your feed back: CriterionCast@gmail.com or call their voicemail line @ 347.878.3430 or follow them on twitter @CriterionCast or Comment on their blog, http://CriterionCast.com.

Thank you for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe to their podcast and please leave your reviews in their iTunes feed.

Our next episode they will highlight and discuss Criterion #478 Alain Resnais’ 1961 film, Last Year At Marienbad.

Add It To Your Netflix Queue.

Show Notes:

(00:00 – 00:10; “Rush Apart” by The Rural Alberta Advantage)

(00:11 – 01:19; The CriterionCast – Episode 048.5 – Disc 2)

[ON THE SCREEN]

(01:20 – 06:07; Blood Simple – Rudie Obias)

(06:08 – 10:52; Movies In My Queue – James McCormick)

(10:53 – 16:57; Time Bandits on Blu-ray – Ryan Gallagher)

(16:58 – 21:05; The Strain – Ryan Gallagher)

(21:06 – 26:23; Bored To Death – Ryan Gallagher)

[FEATURED DISCUSSION]

(26:24 – 31:02; Steven Soderbergh’s Solaris To Join The Criterion Collection?)

(31:03 – 52:17; Summer Movie Wrap Up)

[CREDITS]

(52:18 – 53:18; Wrap Up, Contact Info & Goodbyes)

(53:19 – 53:33; Next – Alain Resnais’ 1961 film, Last Year At Marienbad – CC #478)

(53:34 – 53:45; Goodbyes)

(53:46 – 54:42; “Tidal Wave” by Apples In Stereo)

(54:43 – 55:04; Outtakes)

Wacky Criterion Collection Newsletter Drawing Hints At Ken Loach’s Kes

Ryan Gallagher — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:45:58 +0000

Earlier today, Criterion sent out their monthly e-mail newsletter, highlighting what they will be releasing over the next month as well including a few unexpected treats. This month they’re hosting a contest of sorts, where they’re looking for the best user submitted caption to go along with an image they’ve chosen. Head over to the Current post to see the images, and submit the funniest caption you can, to win a DVD or Blu-ray of your choice.

As usual, Jason Polan included a wacky drawing to accompany the newsletter, hinting at an upcoming Criterion release. Today’s drawing was certainly a tough nut to crack, as these images usually require some level of detective work, when they are not obvious. A falcon sitting on a football (or soccerball for us Americans), does not jump out at me as a title I’m familiar with. Luckily my keyword detective skills are becoming sharper as I grow older. After a few clicks on IMDB, I came to the conclusion that this month’s drawing is hinting at Ken Loach‘s 1969 film Kes.

Also known as “A Kestrel For A Knave” (the title of the story that the film is based on), Kes tells the story of Billy Casper, a rough school boy, who finds an unlikely friend in the form of a falcon. I haven’t seen the film yet, and from what I gather from the trailer is that it’s most likely part of the coming of age genre that I can’t seem to get behind at this stage of my life. Netflix doesn’t have any discs available for this currently, but lists it as coming soon to Watch Instantly.

As you can see from the DVD Cover below, this was one of the MGM titles that Epix brought with it to Netflix recently, and that makes me even more sure in my prediction that this will make it’s way into the collection. We’ve seen several titles make their way into the Criterion Collection recently that were once under the MGM umbrella, as they are not doing well financially these days, and most likely don’t have any plans on releasing some of these older catalog titles.

Have you seen Kes? What do you think of this prospect of it finding it’s way into the Criterion Collection? What other Ken Loach films would you like to see added?

Fantastic Fest 2010 Preview: Pablo Trapero’s Carancho

Ryan Gallagher — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 06:00:06 +0000

I’m attempting to preview the various films screening at Fantastic Fest by going through the list of titles that have been announced so far in alphabetical order. So far, I’m trying to highlight two films per night, and so far, it is working out great in that I’m getting two particularly different films for you folks to read about.

Tonight’s preview is a film that screened earlier this year at the Cannes film festival, Pablo Trapero’s Argentinian film, Carancho:

In Argentina, more than eight thousand people die every year in road accidents. Behind every tragedy there is an industry, supported by the compensations of insurance companies and the weakness of the law. Sosa, is a lawyer who moves through emergency rooms of public hospitals and police stations in search of potential customers. Luján, is a young doctor from the province. This love story begins the night Luján and Sosa meet on the street. She’s trying to save a man’s life; he’s trying to turn him into his customer.

While I still haven’t seen The Secret In Their Eyes (also featuring Ricardo Darin), I cannot wait to catch Carancho when it hits Portland (most likely at the Portland International Film Festival). From the looks of the trailer, and the reviews this got out of Cannes, it could very well end up on the Oscar list next year.

Again, the schedules aren’t finalized yet for Fantastic Fest’s screenings, but you can currently head over to utilize their B-Side Schedule website within their homepage, to add films to your lists, which can then be synchronized with your iPhone calendar, by use of their newly unveiled iPhone application. I downloaded it earlier (did I mention it’s free?), to play with, and I really hope that other film festivals take note of this one, as it looks to be very useful for those in attendance.

Don’t forget, tickets are running out, so head over to FantasticFest.com to see what’s left. Fantastic Fest is running from September 23rd-30th, in Austin, Texas.

John Woo Is Looking To Remake A Film Or Two

Joshua Brunsting — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:04:29 +0000

In the wake of his rather fantastic (and critically lauded) nearly five hour long epic piece of cinema, Red Cliff, it looks like John Woo may finally be back in the good graces of Hollywood producers everywhere.

After a collection of underwhelming studio fair, ranging from original IPs like Face/Off, to franchise films like his take on Mission: Impossible II, the filmmaker didn’t seem to have the same luster that made him one of the greatest action filmmakers of his time, through films like Hard Boiled and The Killer.

Well, since the aforementioned Red Cliff hit, the director has gathered quite a long list of possible projects.

His next film, as announced last week, will be his first IMAX film, a $90 million WWII film called Flying Tigers. The film will follow a volunteer fighter squadron, which is formed to assist the Chinese in fighting the Japanese prior to the U.S.’ entrance into the war. This will apparently be the director’s next film, and I must say, this sounds fantastic. There may not be a single director working that I would rather see work within the IMAX format, than the visually artistic (particularly after what I saw in Red Cliff) director that is John Woo. However, this is far from the only thing the director has in the works.

In a long interview with Variety, the director revealed that he is still working on two English language remakes, both of which will be based off of films currently in the Criterion Collection.

The first film that Woo will be helming is his long talked about remake on Jean-Pierre Melville’s film, Le Samourai. This film has been apparently on the books, but we haven’t heard much about the project, since November of last year, when, after much talk about it being delayed, Woo again brought it up. At this point, the film doesn’t seem to be moving all that much quicker, but the fact that Woo keeps bringing it up, I can’t help but think that this won’t be far too off. That said, Woo was at one point in time attached to a remake of Le Cercle Rouge (then fell into the hands of Johnny To, and is now in the grasp of John Hillcoat). Hopefully this one doesn’t suffer from that same faith, and thankfully it doesn’t seem like the director will let that happen.

Now, Woo is already familiar with Le Samourai, as the action auteur played homage to the legendary crime film in his fellow Criterion staple, The Killer. Well, while some outlets, like The Playlist believe this may not be the case, the director is apparently working on an English language remake of his classic 1989 film. This isn’t the first we’ve heard of a remake for the film, as people like Walter Hill and John H. Lee have been attached to a remake of the film, but now it looks like it has gotten back into the original director’s hands. The aforementioned Playlist mentions that it could be a hint at a remake of Sam Peckinpah’s The Killer Elite, which is completely possible as it has been something the director has talked about in the past, but personally, I think that this is far more likely.

The thing about this news that I’m not too keen on, is why remake both films. The original The Killer was a film heavily inspired by the great Le Samourai, and would seem a little bit redundant of a choice to follow up, or lead up to, a remake of the Melville film. Now, if they were a double feature of some sort, or shot back to back, maybe with the same actors, that could be kind of cool, as a pure work of art, but to me, the remake of The Killer Elite is a far more interesting choice.

That said, at this point, I’ll see anything that Woo does, so who am I to be picky. It’s a better world for having Woo make films in it, so I am going to be the last one to decide what he should or shouldn’t do. But what do you think? What film sounds interesting to you?

Source: /Film / The Playlist

Fantastic Fest 2010 Preview: Rodrigo Cortes’ Buried

Ryan Gallagher — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:00:10 +0000

At the Sundance Film Festival this past January, Rudie and Travis were treated to the world premiere of Rodrigo Cortes’ new film, Buried, and the subsequent bidding war that took place to win the distribution rights. Over the last several months, we’ve seen trailers and posters released, teasing at a widespread release.

You can find Rudie’s review of the film here, and check out some of the other MiniDisc episode discussions that were released around the festival.

Buried is a daring new film, in which a man finds himself trapped six feet beneath the ground, literally buried alive:

Paul Conroy is not ready to die. But when he wakes up six feet underground with no idea of who put him there or why, life for the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, his contact with the outside world and ability to piece together clues that could help him discover his location are maddeningly limited. Poor reception, a rapidly draining battery, and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly confined race against time, fighting panic, despair and delirium, Paul has only ninety minutes to be rescued before his worst nightmare comes true.

It was recently announced that Fantastic Fest would not merely be presenting the film during their festival on the screens of the world famous Alamo Drafthouse. In celebration of the claustrophobic nature of the film, the festival will in fact be allowing several lucky(?) attendees to watch the film in a very unique way: from within a box, buried in the ground.

Tickets for this event will go on sale on September 8th, along with the opportunity to buy tickets for some of the festivals other heavy hitters, Stone and Let Me In.

This is certainly a film that you’ll be able to catch when it comes to your town after the festival circuit ends, but if you have the opportunity to see this movie with the Austin / Drafthouse audiences, you’d be a fool to pass that up, given the intense and innovative nature of the film.

Be sure to visit the Fantastic Fest hompage, download their iPhone app to help with your scheduling, and buy your tickets early!

CriterionCast – Episode 048 – Robert Altman’s Short Cuts – Special Guest: Whitney Matheson

Rudie Obias — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 03:52:12 +0000

This is the podcast dedicated to The Criterion Collection. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher & James McCormick discuss Criterion News & Rumors and Criterion New Releases, they also analyze, discuss & highlight CC #265 Robert Altman’s 1993 film, Short Cuts.

Add It To Your Netflix Queue.

SPECIAL GUEST: Whitney Matheson – The Author of USA Today’s Pop Culture Blog, Pop Candy.

Thank You! for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe to their podcast and please leave your reviews in their itunes feed.

They broadcast every episode LIVE on UStream every Friday @ 7pm EST/4pm PST. Join in on the conversation @ CriterionCast.com/LIVE

Our next episode they will highlight and discuss Criterion #478 Alain Resnais’ 1961 film, Last Year At Marienbad.

Add It To Your Netflix Queue.

Show Notes:

(00:00 – 00:39; Robert Altman’s Short Cuts- Criterion #265)

(00:40 – 00:55; “A United Theory” by God Help The Girl)

(00:56 – 01:44; The CriterionCast – Episode 048 – Short Cuts – Criterion #265)

[NEWS & RUMORS]

(01:45 – 07:34; Satoshi Kon Passes Away 1963 – 2010)

(07:35 – 15:07; The Trailer for Danny Boyle’s 127 HOURS)

(15:08 – 20:37; Jean-Luc Godard To Receive An Honorary Oscar)

[CRITERION NEW RELEASES]

(20:38 – 27:55; 66 Criterion Films About To Expire on Netflix Watch Instant)

(27:56 – 29:07; Break Music by Carlos Segovia)

[FEATURE FILM]

(29:08 – 1:36:35; Robert Altman’s Short Cuts – Criterion #265)

(1:36:36 – 1:37:28; Fantastic Fest Promo)

[Variations On a Theme]

(1:37:29 – 1:39:53; Variations On a Theme – Urban Isolation in Movies)

(1:39:54 – 1:46:18; Falling Down – Ryan Gallagher)

(1:46:19 – 1:51:07; The Warriors – James McCormick)

(1:51:08 – 1:58:00; Fallen Angels – Rudie Obias)

[CREDITS]

(1:58:01 – 1:59:35; Wrap Up, Contact Info & Credits)

(1:59:36 – 2:00:37; Next – Alain Resnais’ 1961 film, Last Year At Marienbad – Criterion #478)

(2:00:38 – 2:00:52; Goodbyes)

(2:00:53 – 2:01:36; “Working Poor” by Horse Feathers)

(2:01:37 – 2:03:27; Outtakes!!)

Music Credits:

Intro Music by God Help The Girl. Learn more on iTunes and their website, GodHelpTheGirl.com.

Break Music by Carlos Segovia. Learn more @ GhostRamps.com.

Outro Music by Horse Feathers. Learn more on iTunes and their MySpace Page, MySpace.com/HorseFeathersMusic.

Fantastic Fest 2010 Preview: Ben Ketai’s 30 Days of Night – Dark Days

Ryan Gallagher — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:00:57 +0000

Last week saw the second wave of titles announced for Fantastic Fest, along with some bigger, more recognizable titles for the less hardcore genre audiences.

Essentially being publicly touted as a “direct to video” sequel to it’s predecessor, 30 Days of Night: Dark Days will be getting the full theatrical experience for those lucky enough to attend the Fantastic Fest film festival in Austin next month.

It’s been almost a year since the Alaskan town of Barrow’s population was decimated by vampires during its annual month-long sunset. Riddled with grief over the death of her husband, bound by nightmares and void of all emotions beyond hate and sorrow, Stella (Sanchez) has spent the past months traveling the world, trying to convince others that vampires exist. Met with skepticism and laughter, Stella is ready to throw in the towel when a group of lost souls (Coiro, Baird and Perrineau) offers an incredible opportunity: the chance to exact revenge upon Lilith (Kirshner), the vampire queen responsible for the assault on Stella’s sleepy Alaskan town. With nothing remaining to live for, and nothing left to fear, Stella joins their mission and ventures into the uncharted underbelly of Los Angeles where she pushes herself to the most extreme limits to stop the evil from striking again.

I’m one of the few people I know that actually really dug the first 30 Days of Night, not only for David Slade’s direction, but also for the stylized look of the vampires that translated fairly faithfully from the comics. I also enjoyed Danny Huston’s performance as the lead vampire, as well as Ben Foster’s ultra creepy role as “the Stranger.”

While I won’t be able to catch this film, I’m certainly going to pick it up on Blu-ray when it hits stores, to complete my collection. In an earlier post, I wrote about using these festivals as an opportunity to watch some films that you might not otherwise be able to see in theaters, and while you will be able to see this movie, I’d say that catching this one with an audience will most likely be a blast. If there was ever an audience to watch schlocky direct to video vampire movies with, the genre-philes that will be at the Drafthouse for Fantastic Fest are it.

Check out the trailer for 30 Days Of Night: Dark Days below, and don’t forget to head over to Fantastic Fest’s homepage to order your tickets, or use their handy B-Side Scheduling page to plan out your festival viewings.

As a special treat to those in attendance, Fantastic Fest is looking to bring in the film’s director Ben Ketai, Kiele Sanchez and Steve Niles (co-writer, author).

Fantastic Fest 2010 Preview: Jang Cheol-So’s Bedevilled

Ryan Gallagher — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:00:42 +0000

September will see an onslaught of film festivals screening across the world, but Austin’s own Fantastic Fest, will certainly be the one I’m most disappointed at myself for not being able to attend. While it would certainly be a treat to go to the New York, Venice, or Toronto film festivals, the films screening at Fantastic Fest, and some of the once in a lifetime events that I’ve heard rumor of, are seriously making me reconsider some of my priorities, and throwing the costs on a credit card.

Last week we brought you the second wave of films that were announced, and while there are still many more to be announced, we figured it was time to start previewing some of these titles more in depth, to give you lovely readers the chance to watch a trailer that you might have otherwise dismissed based on a short plot description.

I’m going to do my best to provide you with two previews per night, over the next few weeks, until the festival begins. Again, while we won’t be able to cover the festival first hand, we will do our best to share trailers, news, and maybe bring a special guest or two on the podcast, to discuss what will be screening, and any special Criterion Collection related events that may be happening.

First up in our series of Fantastic Fest previews is Jang Cheol-so’s South Korean film, Bedevilled.

From AsianMediaWiki:

In a small village on a remote island, seven people spread among five families are murdered. Kim Bok-nam (Seo Yeong-Hie) is a resident in the village, a girl with innocent looks but with a dark side as well. Bok-Nam tries to runaway from the island where she finds the residents to be cruel, but cannot escape. Tragedy soon awaits for Bok-Nam …

While there aren’t any screening times or dates announced yet on Fantastic Fest’s B-Side scheduling page, you will certainly want to keep your eyes out for this one. Over the past decade, South Korea has seen an incredible amount of love from the American film critics, and from the looks of this trailer, Bedevilled looks to be just as intense, as those that have come before it.

There will certainly be some higher profile films screening at Fantastic Fest this year, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my limited time here in the film blogging/podcasting world, is to really take advantage of those films that are unlikely to see a domestic release theatrically. So when you see Bedevilled on your schedule, make sure to highlight it.

If you are in the Austin area, or are able to make it to the festival, be sure to order your tickets as early as possible. At the time of writing, the complete Film and VIP badges are sold out, but you can still pick up “2nd Half” and Daytime-Only badges. When you look at all that you’ll get with these tickets, you’ll soon realize that the cost of these tickets is cheaper than actually going to regular films in theaters right now. Don’t hesitate, head over to FantasticFest.com for all the info.

A Journey Through The Eclipse Series: Lariso Shepitko’s Wings

David Blakeslee — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:00:02 +0000

I never even knew such words as these:

“Let someone else do it.”

In some parts of the country, it’s already begun. In others, it’s still a week away, after we get past the Labor Day holiday. I’m talking about “back to school” time. As teachers and professors wrap up their preparations for a new semester and classrooms and lecture halls begin to fill up with students covering the full spectrum between eagerness and apathy, Education is the topic at hand. So for this week’s column, I’ve chosen a film on that theme… kind of. It focuses not so much on either the students or their teachers, but an administrator given the task of running the whole operation.

It’s Wings, from Eclipse Series 11: Lariso Shepitko, a set named after the Russian woman who directed the two films contained therein. Prior to watching Wings, I had no familiarity at all with Ms. Shepitko’s work (and just a bit of experience with Russian cinema in general, having seen a few of the more famous titles by Eisenstein and Tarkovsky and nothing else.) I mainly knew of this set as “the cheap one,” the least expensive Eclipse box on the market, and the slimmest, holding just two films on two discs – though it represents nearly half of Shepitko’s output in feature-length films, due to her too-young death in a car accident in 1979.

Wings was her debut feature, released in 1966 when she was 28 years old. It’s a remarkably assured work, telling its story on her own terms, maintaining an ambivalent, observational tone, patiently allowing the narrative arc to build as we gradually settle in to a knowledge of what makes its protagonist tick. A retired fighter pilot (from the Great Patriotic War, as Russians refer to World War II) is now struggling through middle-of-life doldrums, stuck in the confines of a school superintendent’s job. Despite the popular acclaim and heroic status of past wartime accomplishments, something seems to be missing. The pilot-turned-administrator struggles to find something that will add a new spark to daily routines and silently harbors anxieties that the glories of the past will never find their equivalent in whatever the future may hold.

A plot with that outline seems conventional enough, territory that’s been explored in a fair number of “midlife crisis” films – but the fact that this story involves a female fighter pilot-turned-schoolmaster and takes place in the USSR is just the starting point for what makes Wings a memorable and affecting cinematic experience. Filmed during a period of relative openness within the Soviet film industry, Wings offers mild but subtle critiques of the conditions of that place and time – plumbing that doesn’t work, cheap concrete that crumbles under the impact of stiletto heels, the plodding pace of building renovations and so on – as well as a clear demonstration of the artistic talent that was cultivated and nurtured within that system.

Nadhezda Petrukhina (who I will refer to afterward as Nadya, to save myself some typing) is now in her early 40s, unmarried and generally respected in her community. I don’t think we ever get a clear indication of what Russian city she works in, but she’s clearly been given a fairly comfortable, slightly preferential post within the Soviet bureaucracy on account of her past service to the nation. We first see her after a terrific multi-layered opening shot of a crowd of people walking to and fro in front of what turns out to be a tailor shop window. She’s getting measured for a suit she’ll wear to deliver a televised speech accepting an honorary diploma on behalf of the construction-oriented trade school she runs.

After making her presentation, she’s abruptly put on the spot when two of her students misbehave badly right in front of her as she’s surrounded by the same dignitaries who just bestowed the award. Feeling the pressure a bit, she overplays her hand with a sullen rebellious young man, who mocks her threat of expulsion if he refuses to apologize to the girl with whom he started the disturbance. The awkward exchange doesn’t end real well, but the deeper damage comes from how swiftly a small incident like that drains away the feeling of satisfaction that positive public recognition is intended to provide.

As Wings progresses, numerous small-scale but aggravating setbacks occur, each one chipping away at Nadya’s resolve to look on the bright side of her work, but describing them here serves little point. They are just the typical kinds of hassles that anyone working in a long-term career position faces, whether the field is education or any other kind of job involving large systems that rely on the cooperation of fickle, unreliable human beings.

As a social services worker myself for 20+ years, I could easily relate to the minor dilemmas Nadya had to sort through: the repetition of tedious tasks, coaxing reluctant and emotional students and colleagues to stick to and complete their assignments, the struggle to come up with the right wording in public communications, and so on. Shepitko did a fine job keeping the on-the-job irritations believable and interesting, without feeling the need to amp up the melodrama or inject artificially contrived crises into the mix. Her aim is naturalistic realism of a sort that commercially-driven Hollywood films have rarely been able to achieve, as they typically resort to things like terminal illness, family-shattering affairs or the threat of homicidal violence to stir audience emotions.

Alongside Nadya’s professional frustrations, she also has to deal with more personal and domestic transitions. Her adopted daughter Tanya (who still thinks Nadya is her natural mother) has recently married Igor, a man some 15 years older than her. Nadya and Igor have never met, nor has any invitation been extended, though Nadya takes it upon herself to drop in unannounced one afternoon.

It’s yet another awkward encounter, though a few humorous moments and Nadya’s mental resourcefulness manage to lighten the mood a bit, in Tanya and Igor’s apartment, surrounded by their friends, and in other circumstances as well. As we get to know Nadya, we begin to realize what a determined and efficient hard-worker she is and always has been up to this point in her life.

That inner toughness and competitive drive to succeed is crystallized in the scene that produced the quote at the top of the article, spoken by Nadya after Tanya encourages her to quit her school job and “let somebody else take care of the brats.” Nadya’s endless willingness to shoulder the load of social responsibility, such a prized characteristic in Soviet society (and so many others, of course) is precisely now the cause of her own internal discontent.

As the film nears its conclusion, we see Nadya begin to experiment with spontaneity: an impromptu dance in an empty cafe with a newfound friend… allowing herself to be drenched in the rain with a handful of produce rather than running to shelter like everyone else… a startling proposal to a male companion who never thought he’d have to respond to such a query from her. But is shirking that ethos of adherence to the social order and carrying one’s share of the load a real solution? Or is it merely giving in to weakness and expecting someone else to compensate for one’s failure to handle the pressure?

These questions are never explicitly framed in Wings – they arise only from my own contemplation of Nadya’s character and the parallels I see between her life and my own. While on vacation earlier this month, I had the opportunity to revisit for the first time in 20+ years some places where some of my most crucial life events had taken place, so I could relate in a way to the scene, late in the film, where Nadya visits the local museum exhibit that detailed her wartime exploits. Seeing the old photos again triggered in Nadya a release of her underlying tensions in recalling past experiences she had flying for the Soviet Air Force, memories conveyed to us via visual flashbacks – first of amorphous cloudscapes, later of old conversations with Mitya, a fellow pilot and former lover, and finally of the critical flying mission that made her a hero and established the trajectory of her life afterward and up until the point we see her in the film.

Wings concludes on a wondrous but tantalizingly ambiguous note, as Nadya’s journey reaches its culmination in a way that exhilarates those viewers who’ve successfully climbed on board, but leaves up to us the ultimate interpretation of where she winds up going after “The End” flashes across the screen.

At the risk of giving the wrong impression, here’s a video I found on YouTube that uses clips from Wings with a contemporary Russian pop song. Let me be clear: You won’t hear this music on the DVD! I found an excerpt from Wings too, but it’s a spoiler and I think you’re better advised to see it for the first time in the context of the movie itself.