A Room and a Half | reviews, news & interviews
A Room and a Half
A Room and a Half
Evocative mood piece celebrating the exiled Russian poet Joseph Brodsky
Thursday, 06 May 2010
Faces from the past: Alisa Freyndlikh and Sergei Yursky in 'A Room and a Half'
Definitely no standard biopic, Russian director Andrei Khrzhanovsky’s A Room and a Half captures part of the life, and a great deal of the spirit, of Russian poet Joseph Brodsky in a rare and rather brilliant gallimaufry of forms – from archive material (some of it skilfully doctored), via plentiful animation, to re-enactment scenes. It also catches the cultural milieu that formed the winner of the 1987 Nobel Prize for literature, and the double city - Leningrad/St. Petersburg - of his birth.
Definitely no standard biopic, Russian director Andrei Khrzhanovsky’s A Room and a Half captures part of the life, and a great deal of the spirit, of Russian poet Joseph Brodsky in a rare and rather brilliant gallimaufry of forms – from archive material (some of it skilfully doctored), via plentiful animation, to re-enactment scenes. It also catches the cultural milieu that formed the winner of the 1987 Nobel Prize for literature, and the double city - Leningrad/St. Petersburg - of his birth.
Explore topics
Share this article
more Film
The Book of Clarence review - larky jaunt through biblical epic territory
LaKeith Stanfield is impressively watchable as the Messiah's near-neighbour
Blu-ray/DVD: Priscilla
The disc extras smartly contextualise Sofia Coppola's eighth feature
Back to Black review - rock biopic with a loving but soft touch
Marisa Abela evokes the genius of Amy Winehouse, with a few warts minimised
Civil War review - God help America
A horrifying State of the Union address from Alex Garland
The Teachers' Lounge - teacher-pupil relationships under the microscope
Thoughtful, painful meditation on status, crime, and power
Blu-ray: Happy End (Šťastný konec)
Technically brilliant black comedy hasn't aged well
Evil Does Not Exist review - Ryusuke Hamaguchi's nuanced follow-up to 'Drive My Car'
A parable about the perils of eco-tourism with a violent twist
Io Capitano review - gripping odyssey from Senegal to Italy
Matteo Garrone's Oscar-nominated drama of two teenage boys pursuing their dream
The Trouble with Jessica review - the London housing market wreaks havoc on a group of friends
Matt Winn directs a glossy cast in a black comedy that verges on farce
Silver Haze review - daughters of Albion dealing with damage
Vicky Knight and Esmé Creed-Miles shine in a drama inspired by Knight's tragic past
Mothers' Instinct review - 'Mad Women'
Sixties suburban duel veers between daftness and spooky power
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire review - a bit of a monster let-down
Old foes become new friends amid the usual wreckage
Add comment