By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Angelina Nikonova
Starring: Olga Dykhovichnaya | Roman Merinov | Sergei Borisov | Sergei Golyudov | Vsevolod Voronov
Original language title: Portret v sumerkakh
Country: russia
Year: 2012
Running time: 105
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2043962/
Bruce says: “The purpose of the New Directors/New Films Festival is to promote emerging talent. The festival has a remarkable track record, having discovered many directors who are now considered leaders in their field. The festival is remarkably open to foreign filmmakers, a decided plus for those of us who think that many of the better films are not American made. The filmmaking community is becoming more international. TWILIGHT PORTRAIT is a case in point. Director Angelina Nikonova studied filmmaking in New York City before returning to her homeland. While at film school she met Eben Bull. They lost contact for many years but when Nikonova wanted to make a feature film she called Bull out of the blue and he agreed to fly to Russia and shoot her film. As is the predicament for most truly independent filmmakers there is not enough money to do things in the traditional way. When asked why she did not use a steadycam, Nikonova laughed and said most sophisticated filmmaking equipment was out of the question. But the raw quality of TWILIGHT PORTRAIT is surprisingly interesting and when the visuals get a little jumpy, it seems appropriate to the subject matter. Many of the non-professional actors helped with many facets of the film. The policeman who plays the lead, ‘borrowed’ a cop car to use for some shots. Both Nikonova and screenwriter Olga Dykhovichnaya (who also is the female lead in the film) are promising talents.
“Marina is a woman with a rich father, a handsome husband, and a fascinating job working with problem children in social services. That’s how others see her. That coin has another side. She rarely speaks to her parents, her husband is unsuccessful in every venture he attempts, and she is having an affair with her best friend’s husband. One night after she has a rendezvous with her lover in a remote area, she is walking down the street hoping to hail a taxi. Some punks grab her purse as they drive by. It is after dark and she is trying to hitch a ride in an area that is frequented by streetwalkers. A cop car cruises by and the cops stop for her. They take her to a deserted road where they park and rape her. These men may enforce the law but they also see rape as a male privilege.
“When Marina reports the stolen handbag to the police she is treated as a perpetrator rather than a victim. Shortly thereafter Marina decides to take the law into her own hands. She tracks down the cop who brutally raped her with the intention of killing him. Instead she falls in love with him and moves into his apartment.
“It is difficult to appreciate the class differences in the film; consequently, the behavior of the characters is hard to gauge. The
violence is unusually brutal. Dykhovichnaya claims that her original script was even more violent and closer to the reality of post-Soviet Russia. Uh-oh. 3 1/2 cats
“(TWILIGHT PORTRAIT screened at the 2012 New Directors/New Films Festival jointly sponsored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art.)”