Dnevnik ego zheny

"His Wife's Diary" is an almost biographical film by Aleksey Uchitel on the theme of the period in emigration in France of the great Russian writer Ivan Bunin. The writer's creative torment and love throwing, the devotion and wisdom of his wife, as well as the intrigue and pettiness of their environment. All this against the backdrop of constant need, lack of money in a foreign country and longing for the homeland, where no heroes of the film will ever return.

Russia's submission to the 73rd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film probably won't be the easiest to find; I found it on YouTube. Aleksey Uchitel's "Dnevnik ego zheny" ("His Wife's Diary" in English) is about author Ivan Bunin's years in France after he had left revolutionary Russia. Specifically, the movie covers the era from the '30s to the '50s, and Bunin's affair.

The movie is slow-moving. I suspect that it deliberately was, to let the characters and the varieties of their emotions develop. Having known nothing about Bunin before seeing the movie, I found it interesting in that regard. People who want movies to be nonstop action and explosions should avoid this one at all costs. If you're in for something cerebral, then you might want to check this one out, although it certainly won't be for everyone.