KOKTEBEL aka ROADS TO KOKTEBEL

Year: 2003
UK: Artificial Eye
Cast: Gleb Puskepalis, Igor Chernevich, Aleksandr Ilyin, Vladimir Kucherenko, Agrippina Steklova
Directors: Boris Khlebnikov, Alexei Popogrebsky
Country: Russia
Language: Russian (English subtitles)
UK: 105 mins
UK Certificate: 12A contains one scene of moderate violence
UK Release Date: 31 December 2004

Synopsis

After his wife's death and the loss of his job, a father sets out with his 11 year-old son for his sister's house in Koktebel by the Black Sea. For the father, the journey is an attempt to restore self-respect. For the boy, the mythic coastal town holds the key to a new life and emancipation. With no money nor means of transport, they drift through the expansive and mesmerising landscapes at the mercy of chance...

The relationship between father and son is genuinely expressed through illuminating details. A simple plot is gracefully composed with stunning lyrical visuals, spaced-out dreamy shots and a loving eye for natural beauty. It is also a down-to-earth portrayal of life in the Russian provinces, its small towns and desolate villages.