Rusalka (2007)

Rusalka (dir.: A Melikyan) is clearly a film that follows in the footsteps of Lola rennt: restless cinematography, quirky story about fate and love - and a punky girl with odd hair (Amelie also came to mind). This is not really a complaint. Even though the story of the film is nothing to write home about, I was entertained (but not moved); it is fair to call the film a type of fairy tale (references to HC Andersen). Aliza grows up in a small town by the Black sea. The girl loses her capacity to speak and attends a school for the mentally handicapped. Her mother takes her along to Moscow and there she meets Sasha, a rich, self-destructive man with a flashy job. She decides that Sasha must be a part of her life. Aliza thinks she has a personal power to make wishes come true, so why not this one? It is the vivid documentation of surroundings that make Rusalka a memorable film. First, the breeziness of seaside Smallville, then the big, cruel city. The camera pans along anonymous skyscrapers, vibrant streets and traffic jams, only to keep returning to commercial texts all over the city. If we look at the actual content of the film, things get more shady - much more. The lively girl Aliza saves the guy's life two or three times and reminds him that he has a heart as well. You know the story: the simple girl and the rich boy, full of himself. The meaning of the end is puzzling, and I am worried that if I mull it over too much, I will like this film less (the big question: is it a terribly cynic ending or is it a critical gesture?). The film contains enough memorable scenes to make it a good film, despite some disappointing erratic scenes. Even though there are plenty of gender stereotypes here, the main character is surprisingly elusive and unusual - she is not our ordinary heroine. I hope I get to see more films directed by Anna Melikyan.