Zhara

I saw this as part of the Russian Film Festival back-to-back with "Day Watch", and i'd have to say that all those people that didn't come to "Zhara (Heat)" as well missed out.

I found this to be great on a number of levels, first and foremost the old routine of having old friends relate to each other once again, but also to be able to see a modern Moscow as perhaps not shown elsewhere. It's the old habit of the more successful foreign films being too stereotyped to be good that gets kicked in this movie, with the only thing that will remind you of Russia being the beautiful women and the shots of vodka.

The central character Llyosha was played exceptionally well, and this is quite simply a warm comedy of sorts, but still plays nicely once you get past the initial "trying so hard" that we can expect for a film out of Eastern Europe with Western undertones.

Watch it if you can, and before it gets adapted by Hollywood (you know it will).