My most anticipated film at this year's MIFF is none other than Andrei Zvyagintsev's “Minotaur” which is his first film in almost a decade. You may be wondering why Asghar Farhadi's “Parallel Tales” wasn't my most anticipated film at MIFF when it was number one on my list for the entire year, a list where “Minotaur” failed to even get a mention. The simple reason is because I was under the (incorrect) assumption that Zvyagintsev still hadn't even begun filming “Minotaur” when I wrote that list, thus expected it to be a 2027 release, otherwise it definitely would have taken the top spot from Farhadi's film. Imagine my surprise and excitement when “Minotaur” was announced as part of the Cannes Film Festival, and that we were now getting a new Zvyagintsev film a year earlier than I expected. A lot has changed in Andrei Zvyagintsev's life since the release of his previous film, “Loveless”, in 2017. Most importantly Zvyagintsev very nearly died during the Covid pandemic and then further suffered the debilitating effects from long Covid, making him unable to work. He also now lives in exile in France due to his strong anti-war stance and general opposition of Putin. What has not changed though is his brilliant level of film making and the fact that he is still one of the bravest directors working throughout the world today. His latest film, “Minotaur”, is actually a remake of Claude Chabrol's 1969 classic “La Femme Infidele” (The Unfaithful Wife), with the story re-purposed to today's Russia, complete with a scathing attack against the current war that is taking place against Ukraine.
I actually happened to see “La Femme Infidele” and “Minotaur” within twenty four hours of each other, and found the experience to be more than a little odd, and I am not sure it was for the better of “Minotaur”, as I was constantly comparing it to the original French film. While it was good to be so familiar with the details and story beats of the original film, I think some distance from it would have been beneficial in seeing “Minotaur” as its own thing. I admit I was actually surprised at how faithful a remake “Minotaur” turned out to be, as I was expecting Zvyagintsev to use the original Chabrol piece as a jumping off point and then for him to go his own way with the story, tackling his own themes. Instead, Zvyagintsev is totally faithful to “La Femme Infidele” with all of the main beats of the story being recreated in this new film, although he has changed the ending to fit the Russia of today.
With “Minotaur” running forty five minutes longer than “La Femme Infidele”, you may think that a lot has been added to this new version but really the main addition is Andrei Zvyagintsev's angry condemnation of the current war taking place, and in particular how it is the ordinary, every day folks that are being chewed up by the war machine in progress. The biggest plot extension of “Minotaur” is that Gleb is forced (by the Mayor) to choose fourteen members of his staff to be drafted for the war. This is actually where the title of the film comes from, as it is a dark political metaphor for the war machine in Russia, and relates to the Greek myth where Athens was forced to regularly sacrifice fourteen young people to the monster within the labyrinth as retribution for the death of King Minos's son. This is mirrored in the film by Gleb's dilemma of who to give up from his workforce to essentially be killed in a pointless war. This is also the reason for Gleb's heightened stress throughout the film, as he needs to work out who to choose, and also not let it disrupt his workflow or business. Gleb ultimately comes up with a diabolical plan to hire brand new staff (for work his company does not have), just so he has people for his draft quota. These poor unsuspecting men believe they have found employment, but instead they are about to be shipped off to their deaths. Gleb also adds another cruel wrinkle to his solution by including the name of his security manager, who was the man he got to investigate and confirm his wife's infidelity, as a way of tying up loose ends. Andrei Zvyagintsev is clearly saying that in the corrupt Russia of today, life is cheap, and that the men in power are willing to do some despicable things so they themselves are not affected by the war. It is certainly something when a main character in a film can kill a person in cold blood, and it is still not the most reprehensible thing he does in that film. This part of the story is front and centre of “Minotaur” so it is impossible to miss, but Andrei Zvyagintsev also shows the reality of this war in a number of smaller ways throughout his film. Visible images of anti-war graffiti on buildings, soldiers and amputees walking the streets, and trains transporting tanks passing by, are just a few examples of this.
The other key difference between “Minotaur” and “La Femme Infidele” is that in the Russian version none of the characters are happy. In fact, I think the only time you see anyone smile is during the night Gleb, Galina and a group of their friends go to a club, in an attempt to unwind. However post-party, Galina declares that even this moment of “fun” was nothing but a facade; a way for people to pretend they are not affected by the world they are currently living in. While there is never confirmation either way, in “La Femme Infidele” you never know if the wife strays because she is unhappy or if she is just bored. In “Minotaur” there is no doubt that it is because Galina is miserable in life, and looking for any sort of distraction from it or the slimmest hint of potential happiness. There is a scene towards the end of the film where Galina delivers a line of dialogue that may be the most important of the entire film: “I want to live, not endure, live.”
It is so good having Andrei Zvyagintsev healthy and active in cinema once more, and a relief that he did not lose his touch while dormant for close to a decade. “Minotaur” looks and feels exactly like an Andrei Zvyagintsev movie; it is slow paced, impeccably shot and acted, and very, very politically angry. Zvyagintsev has always been great at tackling tough subject matter but doing it in a digestible format for the audience, so the message never overpowers the entertainment of the film. He once again reunites with cinematographer Mikhail Krichman, and the pair continue using the visual style they have developed and been successful with over the past few films. Working with a cool colour palette , slow deliberate camera moves and Zvyagintsev's exquisite camera placement, “Minotaur” is a stunning film to look at, like you would expect, with Latvia filling in here for Russia.
Andrei Zvyagintsev also has a fantastic knack of eliciting brilliant female performances in all his films, even in the most minor roles, with Iris Lebedeva continuing that trend by giving a heartbreaking performance as Galina, a wife and mother, deeply unhappy in the world she is stuck in. What I love about Lebedeva's performance is that she exhibits real emotions, confronting her daily life whilst everyone else around her tries to ignore it, and pretend that none of it is affecting them. However by doing this, it opens herself up to so much more pain, but at least she is being true to herself and her situation. Conversely, I was not a fan of Gleb, the husband, at all and through Dmitriy Mazurov's performance, he comes across as too masculine or headstrong and rather unsympathetic compared to the same character in the Chabrol film. Because of this, his motivation for confronting his wife's lover feels totally different, as in “La Femme Infidele” it is to try and understand why his wife would stray, while in “Minotaur” it feels like it is just because he doesn't like other people playing with his toys, and he does treat his wife like an object often, rather than anything close to an equal.
Overall, I am so happy to have finally seen a new film from Andrei Zvyagintsev, as he is still one of the best film makers working today. His latest, “Minotaur” is a very interesting remake of Claude Chabrol's “La Femme Infidele” that is very faithful to it's source, complete with a new ending that highlights the absolute corruption of today's Russia. “Minotaur” is exactly what you would expect from a Zvyagintsev film; it is slow, cold, very angry but above all else, has been stunningly put together. As good as the film is though, I would actually probably rate it the weakest of Zvyagintsev's career so far, but coming from anyone else, it would likely be their best; that is how high a bar he has set for himself. I look forward to re-watching “Minotaur” in the near future.
3.5 Stars.



