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Galina Vishnevskaya, Vasily Shevtsov, Raisa Gichaeva, Evgeni Tkachuk, Andrei Bogdanov ... see more see more... , Rustam Shakhgireyev , Alexei Nejmyshev , Alexander Aleshkin , Alexander Peredkov , Alexander Udaltsov , Maxim Fomin , Konstantin Gaiduk , Sergei Makarov , Valentin Kuznetsov , Vladimir Studenovsky , Alexander Kladko , Sergei Lobsev , Zulai Aidomirov , Aset Murtazalieva , Violetta Solodyagina , Sultan Dokaev

Though Russian director Alexander Sokurov's feature Alexandra unfolds against the backdrop of military life, it constitutes a stark and deliberate chamber drama in lieu of a war picture. Alexandra Nik... read more read more...olaevna (Galina Vishnevskaya) is an elderly woman with a grandson, Denis (Vasily Shevtsov), conscripted into the army of the Chechen Republic. When she makes the arduous journey to visit him, the startling nature of military life as it unfolds before her eyes -- the absence of women, the blind acceptance of amenities that so many take for granted, the emotional inexpressiveness -- completely bewilders her and introduces her to a world infinitely more alien than any she has ever experienced. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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69% liked it

1,222 ratings

Critics

89% liked it

57 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: Aleksandr Sokurov

Release Date: May 25, 2007

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DVD Release Date: April 28, 2009

Stats: 147 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (147)

  • gator681
    April 7, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]Previously with "Russian Ark," Alexander Sokurov had given a cinematic tour of the Hermitage that served as a lesson on Russian history. With his latest film, "Alexandra," Sokurov again gives a guided tour, this time of an army base in occupied territory, se... read moreen through the eyes of Alexandra(Galina Vishnevskaya), who is visiting her grandson(Vasily Shevtsov), a captain in the army. As she wanders through the army camp, she is shocked at the state of the soldiers. On the one hand, warfare is nothing new to Russia.(Assuming she is at least 80, then she must remember World War II. There is a quick flashback to reinforce this notion...) But what may separate this conflict(Probably Chechnya...) is that it is fought so close to home against an enemy that while fighting for independence, many consider still part of the mother country. In the end, this is a touching call for peace and for the soldiers to return home safety(All of the characters suffer from loneliness to one degree or another.) while rejecting the comic possibilities of the premise by filming in faded color.(Think about it this way. How many soldiers or officers would not become a laughingstock if their grandmother came to visit?)[/font]
  • RicC
    August 19, 2009
    RicC
    Surprising how engaging this turned out. Totally humane and touching and sentimental with the music and all. Hottest soldiers ever.
  • standbyfilms
    June 1, 2008
    standbyfilms
    This is one of the best films of 2008 - foreign or domestic - its a great statement and Anti- war homage that vs the best in the area of war and home.

    A matronly grandmother wanders around a Russian army base in sun scorched Chechnya, handing out meat pies, cradling soldiers f... read moreaces and providing a welcome distraction from wearying routine in Alexander Sokurov's "Alexandra."
    Sounds about as appealing as month old borscht, eh. Not when "Alexandra" comes from Sokurov ("Russian Ark"), a master of visual films, and stars Russian opera legend Galina Vishnevskaya.

    Vishnevskaya never sings, but "Alexandra" sure does. Director Sokurov has made a stirring anti-war movie, delivering dreamy, alien landscapes devoid of color, raw images that match the soulful force of Vishnevskaya's performance. There's not a shot fired in the film, but it pierces the heart nonetheless.
    His other films "The Russian Ark" and the celebration of the military man in "Father and Son".

    This is as faultless a film as Ive seen in a long time. Sokurov's concept is brilliantly simple in just seeing Galina Vishnevskaya's aged body in the midst of these young soldiers and military hardware the meaning of the film is absolutely apparent. Then, the artistry at work here is breathtaking the dusty patina layered over the whole film, the finely worked soundtrack forever slipping back and forth between human voices and snatches of orchestral music, and single moments, the close ups on the young Chechen's face during his walk with Alexandra back to the camp, that are amazing in their beauty.

    A must see - Try to see it on screen or for sure get the DVD.

    Vince
    UCB Vmedia

View All Aleksandra (Alexandra) Reviews

Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones
October 24, 2008
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

At least one critic has called this Sokurov's most political film, but on its deepest level it considers not a particular war but the complex feelings between mothers and the young men they send out i... Full Review

Roger Ebert
August 8, 2008
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Remarkable, how little Sokurov tells us, while telling us so much. Full Review

Michael Phillips
August 7, 2008
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

The film is built on a massive incongruity: Watching this octogenarian drag her little bent-up wheeled luggage cart, amid rolling tanks and military transport trucks, you're looking at two eternal ver... Full Review

Wesley Morris
June 20, 2008
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

Alexandra is a pleasure to watch, but it's also one of those lovely, unclassifiable movies that flourishes better with repeated or prolonged exposures. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
May 30, 2008
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

In the hands of visionary filmmaker Alexander Sokurov, this simple material makes for a haunting drama about war, generational relationships and the human condition. Full Review

Colin Covert
April 17, 2008
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Without mounting a soap box, the film makes eloquent points about the struggle. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
March 26, 2008
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

Alexandra is a much more modest undertaking, but is just as compelling. And Galina Vishnevskaya, an 81-year-old opera singer, is wonderful as Alexandra. Full Review

Manohla Dargis
March 26, 2008
Manohla Dargis, New York Times

Alexander Sokurov's Alexandra feels like a communiqué from another time, another place, anywhere but here.

J. Hoberman
March 25, 2008
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

Spare yet tactile, a mysterious mixture of lightness and gravity. Full Review

Ray Bennett
May 25, 2007
Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter

Stark but moving snapshot of men on the front line of a nation's nightmare.

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