Russia’s Oscar hopeful gains attention as US ties worsen
MOSCOW — For the second time in four years, Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev is on the shortlist for a foreign-film Oscar, this time for “Loveless,” a grueling examination of adults’ misguided search for satisfaction and the child who suffers from their disappointment.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Zvyagintsev resisted being seen as a cultural ambassador for Russia — though he conceded that the worsening relations with the United States could bring his film elevated attention.
The director, who was nominated in 2015 for his powerful political fable of corruption in the magnificently bleak far north, “Leviathan,” said it would be wrong to interpret “Loveless” and its harsh view of human relations as a portrait of contemporary Russia.
The protagonists, Boris and Zhenya, are a couple at the end of an unhappy marriage. When their son Alyosha goes missing, they are forced to search for him together, but this only further exposes their bleak relationships.