Film Archive

Arrhythmia

Official Selection - Competition 2017 / Aritmiya / Russia, Finland, Germany 2017

Synopsis

Oleg is heading for his thirties. He works as a paramedic and, after a hard shift, he likes to take a few swigs. His wife Katya is also a doctor, working in the hospital’s emergency department. But her patience with Oleg is running thin, so she announces one day that she wants a divorce – although they still have to share their poky apartment until Oleg finds a flat. He also discovers there are major changes at his workplace, which certainly don’t make his life any easier… One of the most intriguing directors on the Russian scene today, Boris Khlebnikov here affirms his ability to paint a faithful picture of a specific environment. Though with a certain measure of hyperbole, he nevertheless also demonstrates benevolence and understanding in his portrayal of the dilemmas and emotions of his heroes. With a precise directorial style the filmmaker presents a study of a relationship experiencing an arrhythmia similar to that affecting the hearts of the patients Oleg treats in his ambulance. The film boasts a fine performance from Khlebnikov’s cast regular Alexander Yatsenko, superbly supported by the dazzling Irina Gorbacheva in the role of Katya.

Lenka Tyrpáková

About the film

116 min / Color, DCP
International premiere
Director Boris Khlebnikov / Screenplay Natalia Meshchaninova, Boris Khlebnikov / Dir. of Photography Alisher Khamidkhodzhaev / Editor Ivan Lebedev, Yulia Batalova / Art Director Olga Khlebnikova / Producer Ruben Dishdishyan, Sergey Selyanov, Natalia Drozd, Aleksi Hyvärinen, Toni Valla, Eva Blondiau / Production Mars Media Entertainment, CTB Film Company / Coproduction Don Films, Post Control, Color of May / Cast Alexander Yatsenko, Irina Gorbacheva / Sales Indie Sales

About the director

Boris Khlebnikov (b. 1972, Moscow) took a course in film studies at VGIK. He gave his debut with the internationally successful Roads to Koktebel (Koktebel, 2003, co-dir. Alexey Popogrebsky), which won the Philip Morris Award at KVIFF 2003. His next film, Free Floating (Svobodnoe plavanie, 2006), shown in Venice’s Orizzonti section, earned him Best Director at Kinotavr in Sochi, Best Film from the Russian Guild of Film Critics, and Best Film at the Warsaw IFF; the movie was also presented at KVIFF. His short film Shame (Pozor) was part of the story showcase Short Circuit (Korotkoe zamykanie, 2009), premiered in Orizzonti at the Venice IFF. Help Gone Mad (Sumashedshaya pomoshch, 2009) received its premiere in Berlin’s Forum and, four years later, the director returned to the Berlinale with A Long and Happy Life (Dolgaya schastlivaya zhizn, 2013), this time screened in competition.