Highly Overrated But Still Good

Good movie but grossly overrated

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The acting in this movie is really good.

In this movie we can see a woman that has her priorities in order. A down to earth movie

I have just watched this film and am astonished that I am still awake - but maybe I am actually sleep-typing. Yes it is beautiful and well shot and all the rest of it - but interesting? Not remotely. In fact the beauty of the cinematography, its elegant simplicity, is not real anyway, it is totally fake, not to mention insulting. The rich people are in sublime greys and whites, the poor people are in dingy browns. The rich/poor divide in characterisation is pretty stereotypical too. This film takes a long time to get going and then that little frisson of excitement is soon over and we are back to endless long scenes about nothing. Attempting to portray reality doesn't have to be so banal. And far too many scenes of noisy eating and drinking - yeuch.

The concept of the movie is simple and could make for a great story. The good hearted nurse with a poor background faces the selfish testament of her rich husband who bequeathes all his money to his only daughter. The movie does a good job at avoiding manicheism and portraying interesting characters, from the poor family of Elena to the spoiled but nuanced daughter of her husband.Sadly, all these good characters are wasted when the movie ends abruptly, apparently in the middle of the story, with no denouement whatsoever. Also, long and seemingly useless shots are spread throughout the film, like a long car scene where absolutely nothing happens, or a shot of kids walking through the forest before a fight that seemed just as useless. Maybe I just don't get that kind of "artistic" storytelling, but it just felt empty and pretentious to me, while the movie could have saved time to show the consequences of Elena's deeds, and extend the daughter's character arc.Wasted potential for what could have been a good tragedy.

A rich older man Vladamir married to a middle aged woman Elena has a heart attack and reveals he is going to leave everything to his unsympathetic daughter. He has refused to help Elena's family. Elena alters fate in her favor.In a movie like this character development is everything and the actors in this movie carry it off flawlessly. Vladamir and Elena are both very believable. Elena is not only believable but a sympathetic character and you are glad she does what she does.If a movies success is measured by is the plot believable and do you care about the characters and will you remember them...this movie succeeds beautifully. In addition the whole atmosphere was spot on. I can still picture Elena's sort of worthless son and his family enjoying the luxuries of the new apartment.RECOMMEND