Focus op Film: Dear Comrades!

Based on a hushed-up massacre that occurred in 1962 in the outback USSR town of Novocherkassk, where a factory strike led to the Russian Army and the KGB opening fire on the workers, killing many, veteran director Andrei Konchalovsky’s (The Inner Circle) searing drama captured the Special Jury Prize at the 2020 Venice Film Festival. At its core is a middle-ranking Communist Party official, Lyuda (Konchalovsky’s wife and regular female lead Yuliya Vysotskaya) whose belief in the system takes a terrible beating as the tragic events unfold. With stunning black-and-white cinematography and a truly memorable lead performance, this is an unforgettable work and the summit of Konchalovsky’s nearly six decades as a filmmaker. ‘Konchalovsky’s latest… is among his finest work… Seamlessly blending exterior shots of Novocherkassk with grand sets constructed in Moscow, Konchalovsky creates an utterly convincing air of mounting chaos, brilliantly captured on multiple cameras marshalled by cinematographer Andrey Naydenov… Vysotskaya is terrific in the central role, capturing both the dreams and disillusionment of a character who strives to repress, rather than express, her emotions, offering a staunch face to the world even when confronting an unimaginable reality.’—Mark Kermode, Observer