Author(s): Răzvan Ionescu / Language(s): Romanian
Issue: 06/2022
The article analyzes the films of the Russian director Nikita Mihalkov, reference creations for contemporary cinema, not only due to their sources of inspiration, but also for the perfect performance of the actors. The present text did not cover the entire filmography of the Mikhalkov brothers, but only the films that can capture (certainly not not make us understand) what is happening in the world today and especially in their “Siberias”, namely Siberiade (Andrei Mihalkov Koncealovski) and The Barber of Siberia (Nikita Mihalkov). Movies that generate strong emotions and a way to grasp the reality of the devastating present. Born into a Russian aristocratic family, Nikita Mikhalkov seems to miss pre-Soviet Russia in his films. That’s why in his movies mother is also Mother Russia. Mihalkov is genuinely nostalgic for Tsarist Russia, which, however, had its share of abuses and abominable crimes. Idolization or idealization of the “motherland”, dangerous, burning passions surging from an idealistic perspective on his homeland, induce the idea of Russia’s superiority over other nations. It is the syndrome of the Russian imperialism, which belongs to the very being of those lands, a kind of an a priori justification to rule the world by force of number and vastitude, a syndrome that overwhelms us every time. Nikita Mihalkov (76 years old) always loved himself as a leader, which is why, in several films, he assumed either the role of a general or a tsar, but also in real life, being even today a firm supporter of Vladimir Putin. The artist harshly judges liberal democracy.
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