by Molly Page
On the closing day of the Sydney Film Festival, Andrey Zvyagintsev presented a Masterclass session moderated by film critic Jason Di Rosso. Minotaur later that evening took the top prize of the Sydney film festival. It was an immense privilege to hear from the director about this film and how it came to be.
The discussion begins with Andrey Zvyagintsev’s childhood. He recounts that it was a happy childhood, being raised by his mother. He studied theatre and acting before he became a director. His mother was always incredibly supportive about the choices he made for himself. Something that Zvyagintsev seemed to appreciate and allowed him to get to where he was today.
Continuing with the idea of choices, Jason Di Rosso asks if Zvyagintsev believes in good and bad characters or good and bad choices. Zvyagintsev chooses the latter. Rosso then follows that answer by asking if the murder in the film Minotaur was premeditated or spontaneous choice of Gleb. Andrey Zvyagintsev is resistant to answer at first, opting that the audience should come to their own conclusions and he should not definitely give his interpretation. Before saying that he did not think it was premeditated, as Gleb was rather calculated as a person before the murder. Rosso continues by asking if the long durational shots were a means of distancing the audience from these characters and their situations. Zvyagintsev replies that he used a 55mm lens not to distance the audience from the characters but rather to replicate the headspace of Gleb who is constantly observing what is happening around him as he slowly suspects his wife is cheating. He wants the audience to similarly observe.
Minotaur being so critical of modern-day Russia proved to be a challenge in the casting process. Zvyagintsev recounted an actor reading the script and crying because they knew they could not take it. Blacklisting is a real threat in the industry there and causes a great deal of censorship. Each of the actors in the film are taking a risk by being associated with the film. Though, mentioning that Aleksey Serebryakov who plays Gleb, still lives in Moscow, and so far there hasn’t been any problems. When asked about whether making films critical of Russia is different today than it was before for something like Leviathan, Zvyagintsev remarked that there definitely had been a shift in perceptions.
For these reasons Minotaur had to be filmed in Latvia and not Russia. Though Zvyagintsev said that the two looked remarkably similar due the Soviet architecture present in Latvia, resembling that of Russia. It adds another political and historical layer to the story of different Russian regimes enforcing censorship. The house, which was also in Latvia, resembles many modern Russian houses. It was chosen because of how spacious it was inside and its large windows. The house also overlooked the water, in which a landmass in the distance called the Island of Death was visible. A foreshadowing of the events of the film.
The next question was about Zvyagintsev’s first-time collaboration with co-writer Simon Liashenko on Minotaur. Up until this film, he had worked with Oleg Negin on the screenplays of Leviathan, Loveless and The Banishment, thus this deviation was of note. Zvyagintsev explained that Negin was still living in Russia, so writing a film critical of Russia would have endangered him. Zvyagintsev had met Liashenko at a masterclass (much to the audience’s amusement). At which Liashenko had given him a letter of appreciation that Zvyagintsev had not opened until one and a half years later! Having no writing credits, Minotaur was quite the opportunity given by Zvyagintsev.
The progress of Minotaur started all the way back in 2018 after Loveless. Zvyagintsev was recommended a couple of French New Wave films to watch, one of which was The Unfaithful Wife by Claude Chabrol which became the basis for Minotaur. What intrigued him about The Unfaithful Wife was the title, thinking it was rather a spoiler of the film. He noted the structure of the film; that the husband was observing his wife, finds out she was cheating but then continues to observe the wife. The film continued after this revelation. This observance is a continuation of what he started talking about earlier in the masterclass. Zvyagintsev remarked that it was a good thing that he did not make the film back then because of the Ukraine War in 2022 which then shaped the film into something of his own. An added layer that improved his original idea.
Jason Di Rosso then shifts gears into discussing the role of reflective surfaces within Minotaur. Zvyagintsev then discussed the role of glass in the film, as previously mentioned when discussing the setting of the house. He remarked that both the house and the office predominately had glass walls. He liked that it allowed for things to be observed, like a conversation in the background of Gleb’s office. Something we are not privy to, cannot hear but can see occurring. Like how Gleb interacts with the events of the film. But also encases him, traps him in like a labyrinth (hence minotaur).
The conversation then ends on the idea of hopelessness in Zvyagintsev’s films, especially in film endings. Zvyagintsev remarks about how it is more realistic. However, he did leave on a happy note. While the film’s ending is not hopeful, there is hope that he was able to make this movie. That he was able to overcome his sickness and see the end product and be able to share it with all of us.