This is one rich movie of one of the most respected Russian directors of the turn of the millennium (Cargo 200, Brother 1 and 2), in his most stylistic edition.The movie has a Dostoevskian feel to it, and is extremely cynical. A psychopathic and art producing pimp and his menacing henchmen, his evil murderous sister, a corrupt girl and adulterous wife meeting their fate, a seemingly innocent but ultimately plagiarizing thief of a youth, a pervert maid and dirty old nanny, an alcoholic perverted kid who has a Siamese brother, perhaps one of the only three moral characters, who are all met or faced with death, all inhabit this fictional universe. Unloved unselfish husband and famous doctor, a good engineer with a weak heart and several other characters die or are offed in most leisurely and fun ways. This bleak but realistic portrayal of the human condition is a reflection of the Yeltsin perverted era in which this masterpiece was produced. The movie is very reflective and well done. It has a well placed and impeccably paced misanthropy for which the now deceased director is famous, director who despite of his immense talent, probably rots in Hell. Not because he is necessarily evil, but because he is exactly the kind of amusing character Devil would like to have a company of. He feels quite at home there, if indeed there is such a place, observing the inhabitants of doom with the same detached amusement and artistic wit he demonstrated aptly in his cinematic gems.

If you think "A drama from Russia", you'll be wrong. This is a very strange satyre of old Russian literacy and melodrama, told with a wit humour and great originality. Just see: there is a blind woman who falls in love at first sight ("Victor Ivanovich!"), a villain who claims for his nurse, a couple of siamese twins (and one of them couches with the girlfriend of the other...and the other don't have a clue!) and much, much more. Everything is filmed as a mute drama, but in fact it's a very intelligent parody. Just try it. It's an excellent film and contains a lot of comments about politics, cinema, literacy and a very good comic approach at the Dostoïevskian tradition in writing. The use of intertitles and black and white photo it's perfect. And in the second half, there is a lot of good laughs.

While I agree with the previous post that the cinematography is good, I totally disagree with the rest: This is nothing more than a porno movie disguised as an artsy film. Showing little boys naked is not art and amounts to child porn. Steer clear of this dud. Stupid is what this film is.

I was looking for some new DVDs to watch and came across this film in our local library. Looked interesting so decided to rent from them. Completely differnet to the standard Hollywood fare. The plot has been outlined here many times so I won't go into it. Just would like to say that it was beautifully filmed, acted and directed.