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Alexandra

Universal acclaim
Based on 13 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 16 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by: Aleksandr Sokurov
Directed by: Aleksandr Sokurov
Release Date:
Theatrical: March 26, 2008
DVD: April 7, 2009
Running Time: 95 minutes, Color
Origin: Russia / France
Language(s): Russian / Chechen
Summary
RATING: Not Rated
Starring Galina Vishnevskaya, Vasily Shevtsov, and Raisa Gichaeva
In a desolate, sun-scorched corner of the world, an elderly woman has come to see her beloved grandson, a young officer stationed at a remote military outpost. With the enemy just beyond the compound, she wanders the barracks, observing the routine of military life, before making a sudden trip to the outlying countryside. (The Cinema Guild)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The New York Times Manohla Dargis
A film of startling originality and beauty -- feels like a communiqué from another time, another place, anywhere but here.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Walter Addiego
In the hands of visionary filmmaker Alexander Sokurov, this simple material makes for a haunting drama about war, generational relationships and the human condition.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Phillips
It's unlike any other war film, in any language.
Read Full Review >Variety Jay Weissberg
Though he's sure to deny it, Alexandra is Alexander Sokurov's most directly political work for years. Featuring a performance of monumental depth by opera legend Galina Vishnevskaya, pic presents war for what it is: brutal, crushing, and ugly, and yet Sokurov doesn't lens any battles.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Ken Fox
Never the most optimistic of poets, Sokurov does suggest the possibility of dialogue on the individual level, and the hope that by asking difficult questions of one another, these mortal enemies can find answers and reach an understanding everyone can live with.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Wesley Morris
Alexandra is a pleasure to watch, but it's also one of those lovely, unclassifiable movies that flourishes better with repeated or prolonged exposures.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
The point is that for the soldiers, it's a dead zone, life on hold, a cheerless existence. And this plain-spoken old woman reminds them of a lifetime they are missing.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
On its deepest level it considers not a particular war but the complex feelings between mothers and the young men they send out into the world to kill or be killed.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas
The luminous humanity that characterizes the films of Alexander Sokurov is in full force in Alexandra. On the surface, it is a work of the utmost simplicity but is charged with the eternal complexities and contradictions of both love and war.
Read Full Review >Village Voice J. Hoberman
Spare yet tactile, a mysterious mixture of lightness and gravity, Alexander Sokurov's Alexandra is founded on contradiction. Musing on war in general and the Russian occupation of Chechnya in particular, this is a movie in which combat is never shown.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea
Alexandra never depicts the soldiers in combat, but Sokurov nonetheless shows how war can break down the social structure, break down family, break the human soul.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan
The frequent, mundane talks -- which Alexandra engages in with her grandson, Malika and the base camp's enlisted men -- are not so much about politics as they are about people.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Noel Murray
The contrast of a warm maternal figure and a remote army outpost is undeniably affecting. But when Vishnevskaya opens her mouth, she spoils the mood.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 7.1 (out of 10) based on 16 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Alan K gave it a9:
Slow, captivating and sometimes puzzling. Well worth seeing. Question: How did this movie get past Russian censors? It is anti-war in general but specifically against the war in Chechnya.
Andrew gave it a4:
War is wasteful, somewhat futile and extremely destructive. Occasionally necessary. The Russian Army is financially and philosophically bankrupt. Does anyone not know any of this? If so, watch this film and learn. If not, don't. Yeah, yeah, I know... it's a metaphor for the torpor of Russian history and its tortured soul. The lead, cellist Mistislav Rostropovish's wife, is wonderful. And I'm an ardent fan of slowly-paced, earthy portrayals of this sort. Stil, I couldn't stand to watch more than 60 minutes of this 90-minute film. Have seen it all before, umpteen times, though perhaps not staged as if it occurs in Chechnya.
Dick C. gave it a10:
Erotic and delicious I had a huge erection throughout.
A Kirk gave it a3:
I went into this film expecting something really wonderful. I must have missed the point somewhere...probably when I fell asleep. This film is very very slow.
S J gave it a1:
So so boring. So many static shots of the old woman walking around.
T P gave it an8:
Slow, subtle, hypnotic and, powerful, a great little film about the futility and foolishness of war.
John P gave it a10:
Wonderful time seeing this, cannot be missed.
