BEANPOLE

Leningrad, 1945. The war is over, the city lies in ruins after the siege, and people search for a life that might go on. Iya, known as “Dylda” for her height, served as an anti-aircraft gunner and was sent back from the front after being wounded; since then she has cared for three-year-old Pashka and worked at a military hospital. Then her friend Masha, with whom she served at the front, returns. Both women are damaged, each in a different way, and what they owe one another becomes the question that shapes their shared life. “Beanpole” (Russia, 2019) is the second feature by Kantemir Balagov.

Balagov, a student of Alexander Sokurov, tells of the post-war period from a woman’s perspective, in a colour scheme that pits green against red. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival 2019, where Balagov won the Best Director award and the film received the FIPRESCI Prize; Russia submitted it for the Oscars. “Beanpole” was shown at Around the World in 14 Films in Berlin in 2019.

Shown at the 2019 edition of Around the World in 14 Films.

All films 2019 · Film Archive