#brat2

5 years without Aleksey Balabanov (1959-2013)

On this day (may 18, 2013) the outstanding Russian film Director Aleksey Balabanov passed away. Actually I hope that some guys from Europe and especially from USA reading me time to time. If it's true I want to tell you a little bit about Aleksey Balabanov.

What Russian film directors do you know?! Only Tarkovsky?! Somebody else?! If you interesting in the «mystery of Russian soul» you must to watch Aleksey Balabanov's movies. Because no one else so accurately conveys Russian everyday life, the real life of Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Russian hinterland. No one except Balabanov, didn't create so exact Russian characters, as his Danila Bagrov from the «Brother» (Brat, 1997) and many others. In «Brother 2» (Brat 2, 2000) Balabanov showed USA through the eyes of simple Russian guy, what should be interesting for Americans not less than for us, I suppose. For Russian people of my age Balabanov's movies are the unique epoch. They made our taste in music. And Danila was and forever will be the hero of our youth. If you want to learn something about who we Russians are and how to understand our irrational and sometimes self destructive actions you have to watch films of Aleksey Balabanov and may be the mystery of Russian soul will start to open for you. At least a little bit.