The Guardian says that apparently, the film — about the Nazi invasion of Russia — is being dismissed for various reasons, with critic Yuri Gladilshikov citing “brutal battlefield naturalism, its promotion of orthodox Christianity, and a gratuitous topless scene involving Mikhalkov’s daughter Nadia.” Well, that’s kind of gross. Yuri also noted that war veterans said it was nothing like the war they were in. Okay, but this is a film, not an actual snippet of the past. Well, you’ll often find many war veterans getting behind a film, and just as many saying it wasn’t like that. Different perceptions, obviously. Maybe it’s not so bad, though the film does sound a bit tasteless (particularly the nude daughter scene), it seems that the film is really being railed on due to its director and not for the film itself.
Critic Oleg Zolotarev mentions, “The reasons it has flopped are psychological [not artistic]. Mikhalkov is no longer seen as a director but as a state bureaucrat.” Mikhalkov is a strong Russian nationalist, very prideful of his country and thoroughly supports PM Vladimir Putin. His entrance as President of Russia’s Society of Cinematographists was claimed to be rigged by various other directors who vied for the role, they subsequently quit and publicly denounced him. A little digging found this article, which is obviously translated from Russian as it is quite confusing to read. The article states that when a still from the film was released in March, our Russian brethren bloggers went to town on the pictures and photoshopped them, finding them silly and ripe with humor. Mikalkov went on to sue these bloggers, though the outcome of that case is unknown. It’s clear that this director takes himself entirely too seriously, and one wonders how he’s dealing or going to deal with critics if/when they lambaste his latest epic tale (or perhaps epic fail?).
It’s hard to stay neutral on this film. Even though a film doesn’t necessarily has to be entirely truthful to the past, it shouldn’t try to rewrite history either. The film also sounds a little over-the-top in its aesthetic. This writer has only seen “12,” but if that’s any indication of how this director works, with its obvious attempts in being grand and meaningful, then this film may indeed be a disaster. Whether or not its worthy of inclusion at this year’s Cannes remains to be seen, but maybe the film will end up doing better outside of Russia, where the director’s politics and scandals won’t come into play. Below is the trailer for the film.