Wonderful character development!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

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.

It would not be an understatement at all if some knowledgeable film critics were to state that Russians are the world's best filmmakers in contemporary times. The current crop of Russian films have not only managed to convey valuable messages about life and its significance but have also been successful in entertaining astute audiences all over the world. "Elena" is a brilliant example of an ethical film with a message. In many ways, it has already been hailed as one of Andrei Zvyagintsev's most accessible films. It is a film which is absolutely devoid of symbolism with which one would normally associate most films made by Zvyagintsev. Elena succeeds as it is an honest film about how money and the acquisition of money has influenced the way Russian society looks at life. A fine balance has been struck as this film shows two aspects of modern Russia : on the one hand, a Russia where a certain section of rich people live in beautiful houses and enjoy all the best facilities to maintain a good lifestyle. On the other hand, there is a different facet of a troubled Russia where alcoholism and bad housing conditions have made life miserable for poor denizens. How does one fit in today's affluent Russia of two extremes where not having money was a colossal problem in the past and having more money has also become a major modern problem ? This is an apt description which can be attached to Russian film "Elena". Although slow in parts, Elena gains momentum in the later part of second half which is the most crucial segment of the film in terms of action. However, the beauty of this film lies in the manner some of life's challenging questions related to economic well being of ordinary people have been asked. It is for finding answers to such questions that Elena must be watched by anybody interested in the manner in which financial health of a person influences his/her personal health.

Made the mistake of watching this in the early hours of the morning. Jasus - what a mistake. Based on earlier comments here, I thought I was in for a bit of a treat - something thought provoking, mind broadening etc. Nothing could be further from the truth. Clichéd, trite and ultimately, infuriating. It tells us nothing new about the human condition and even less about the state of Russia today. If this is an accurate depiction of conditions/mores there, then God help us. I am still struggling to decipher the message- if indeed there is one.Is it - greed is good; blood's thicker than water; the pursuit of wealth always ends in unhappiness. I don't know and, having endured 90 minutes plus of this rubbish, I don't really care. A truly awful film which only insomniacs or manic depressives could enjoy.

Atmospheric? Noir? No, it's just excruciatingly slow.Some people LOVE this stuff to sit and watch the clouds pass. For the first minute, I thought I had hit the pause button by accident. Instead I just hit the mute button by accident. (Think about it). If the long empty takes were there to achieve an atmospheric feel, it achieved that in the first 5 min. Any more is just beating a dead horse. In fact, beating a dead horse would be infinitely more fascinating. Instead, we're treated to endless long takes of nothing. By the time the story moves from the setup, we're already an hour into it. And story is nothing to be proud of. It's as old as cinema. It's been seen before. Just not so slowly.