Member Screening: Minotaur
A masterfully crafted political thriller that simmers with dread, delivers extraordinary performances, and builds toward a finale you won’t soon forget.
Description
Andrey Zvyagintsev returns with one of the most commanding films of the current award season. Set in Russia in 2022, Minotaur follows Gleb (Dmitriy Mazurov), a prosperous corporate executive whose carefully constructed world begins to fracture. As his marriage deteriorates, Gleb faces an increasingly dangerous demand from local authorities: provide a quota of employees to serve in the war against Ukraine. His efforts to protect his own interests while keeping his hands clean expose a troubling—and familiar—moral calculus.
Zvyagintsev is a master of building tension, and Minotaur is a remarkable demonstration of his command. What begins as an intimate domestic drama gathers the force of a political thriller, revealing how authoritarianism takes hold not only through the machinery of government, but through the everyday choices of those who benefit from the status quo. Gleb’s wealth and position insulate him from the consequences of the very system he helps sustain. The parallels extend well beyond Russia, speaking to a global moment in which authoritarianism and staggering economic inequality threaten the foundations of democratic societies.
The filmmaking is extraordinary. Mikhail Krichman’s precisely composed cinematography creates mounting unease, while Zvyagintsev’s exacting control of pace makes every shift in power consequential. Mazurov and Iris Lebedeva deliver exceptional performances, finding unnerving complexity in characters whose private lives reflect larger forces at work.
And then there is the ending. Its final images have stayed with me, an indelible conclusion that deepens the film’s resonance. Uncompromising, exquisitely crafted, and impossible to shake, Minotaur is essential viewing. I urge you to see it.—Jessie Fairbanks
ATTENDEE INFORMATION
This event is a benefit of SFFILM Membership. Please make sure you are signed in to your SFFILM account before clicking “RSVP.” Not a member? Join or renew today for access to this screening! Please note this screening will be overbooked to ensure full attendance; we recommend those attending arrive early to secure their seat.