Russia (2006): Animated/Short

Alexandr Petrov's ability to explore the mystic sides of the human being's inner life has become his trademark. On the whole, animation rarely is able to depict tangible emotions and turn to signs and symbols which only make suggestions to our imagination. This peculiarity is understandable as animation normally shows drawn images or puppets and not actors' faces. Petrov manages to paint real-life emotion on the screen in his very unique contribution.

The story of Moya lyubov goes through various relationships. A boy, Anton, dreams of his beloved ones, argues with his cynic friend or witnesses unfaithfulness and murder in his neighborhood. The boy's own aristocratic family is another source of tension because of class bias - Pasha, one of the Anton's beloved girls, is just a maid in their home. Serafima, the other woman who fires his imagination, has a bad reputation but the young protagonist is happily unaware of it. Every time Anton touches or stares at one of the girls he sees himself in a mythological plot of rescuing her or dives deep in the imaginary sea of emotions. After a series of shy looks, presented snowdrops, secret letters or feverish kisses through the fence the story comes to an unfortunate end. Anton suddenly experiences a mental breakdown when he is disappointed by Serafima's devilish nature. Then Pasha becomes a nun in a monastery to pray for his recovery. At the very end, the young boy wakes up a man who has lost his first love. He has gone through a lot of emotions such as sorrow, jealousy and all the ups and downs of love. Petrov's poetic handling of the film suppresses and transforms the Shmelyov's 19th century sentimentality.

Moya lyubov is a passionate and psychological 26-minute film beautifully painted on glass. It delicately moves between reality, introspection and dreams without destroying the truthfulness of the story. Petrov's painting is derived from the impressionist styles and their bright colors interspersed here and there with dramatic red and black tones pouring out of the boy's nightmares. The talented animation gives new life to the countless tiny brush strokes which are in a state of permanent movement. Actually, Petrov makes his oil paintings with fingers on multiple glass planes. The world in the film is moving and dancing in a never-ending play of shadows and colors matching the unstable emotions of the young boy. The continuous blurs and sharps of the image are part of the poetic language of the film. This is a work of contrasts where the sunshine plays its own role over the characters' faces. The fluid changes of the image create a breathing world where harmony and drama blend in an organic way. -- Nadezhda Marinchevska, © FIPRESCI 2006

Based on the novel by Ivan Shmelyov; directed by Aleksandr Petrov; produced by Konstantin Ernst & D. Yurkov. (A Dago-film Studio, Channel One Russia and Dentsu Tec Production)

   · Achievement in Animated Short Films 2007: Alexandr Petrov

1 nomination