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- Two, Three, Dante, Come: From the Quest for the Divine Comedy to the Horrors of Valley of Smiles
Two, Three, Dante, Come: From the Quest for the Divine Comedy to the Horrors of Valley of Smiles
The heroes of the love triangle embark on an adventurous trip from St. Petersburg to Sochi along the "Sea—Sea Highway". The Codex Dante refers to one of the greatest literary works— The Divine Comedy. Italian director Paolo Strippoli explores the origins of evil in "Valley of Smiles," and Japanese director Kenji Tanigaki turns martial arts into the main language of his action film "Living Fury." Izvestia has compiled a guide to the latest movies that are worth watching this weekend.
"The Sea— sea highway, 16+
Directed by Ilya Khramov. Starring: Aram Vardevanyan, Yulia Frants, Oleg Ots, Daria Matveeva
Russian cinematographers have often turned to the road movie genre in recent years. In 2022, Ural director Ivan Sosnin released the dramedy "Distant Relatives", then Vladimir Munkuyev released the thriller with Yura Borisov "Summer will End", and recently Ivan Petukhov released the melodrama "There" with Irina Starshenbaum and Peter Fedorov. Now Ilya Khramov's debut work "The Sea—Sea Highway" joins this list. At the New Movement 2026 festival, the film won a special prize from young film critics, and actress Daria Matveeva won the prize for best actress.
There's a love triangle on the screen. Tema, an impudent and freedom-loving photographer, does not give up trying to win back his ex-wife Sasha, who is going to marry Gleb. The latter is about stability and confidence in the future, but he is absolutely unable to make decisions and is used to relying on wealthy parents. The three are traveling in a red convertible from St. Petersburg to Sochi, where the wedding is to take place. Tema intends to disrupt the celebration and hopes that the road will help him regain Sasha's feelings. Moreover, he gets an assistant in the case — risky hitchhiker Kira.
The Dante Codex, 18+
Directed by Julian Schnabel. Starring: Oscar Isaac, Gerard Butler, Al Pacino, Gal Gadot, John Malkovich, Jason Momoa
About 20 years have passed since the idea of making a film based on Nick Toshes' novel "The Hand of Dante". Izvestia wrote about why the film adaptation had been waiting in the wings for so long on the eve of the film's premiere in Russia. Toshes himself is shown here as the main character. The picture has a double time perspective. Director Julian Schnabel divides the worlds through a visual solution, where the present is gloomy in black and white, and the past is in bright colors.
Nowadays, American writer Nick, obsessed with the personality of Dante Alighieri and his "Divine Comedy", gets a "dream job." Gangster Joe wants to steal the original manuscript in order to sell it for an astronomical sum. Toshes is responsible for its verification. The events are interspersed with flashbacks from the past, where Dante himself can not finish the final part of the work about paradise.
Actor Oscar Isaac played two roles at once — Nick Toshes and Dante. The idea of reincarnation is key in the picture: the master who created the meanings in this life is forced to review and resell other people's works. The hero, in a sense, goes through the circles of hell and meets love in the person of the Italian Giulietta, who will help him correct the mistakes of the past.
Valley of Smiles, 18+
Directed by Paolo Strippoli. Starring Michele Riondino, Romana Maggiore Vergano, Roberto Citran, Sergio Romano, Anna Bellato
The Italian horror was shown out of competition at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, where it received an out-of-competition award from the Italian Federation of Film Clubs (FEDIC). Sergio is grieving the loss of a loved one. He leaves for the village of Remis, where he is going to work as a physical education teacher at a school. 15 years ago, a train accident occurred in this place, which claimed many lives and affected almost every family. But now everyone is smiling here, and suffering is considered unacceptable. The villagers take special care of the unusual teenager Matteo, whose hugs are able to heal people: as soon as he does this, the pain disappears. The strange behavior of others and their rituals frighten Sergio.
The appearance of an alien in a murky place is a familiar setting for horror films. Viewers should not expect a rapid development of the action and sharp plot twists, events take place slowly. The faded shots — the absence of the sun and the eternal fog — add gloom to the atmosphere, thereby creating even more tension in the film. Director Paolo Strippoli tries to understand how evil originates, and with the help of plot understatement leaves the audience space to find answers.
"Sweet fairy tale", 6+
Directed by Pavel Yandurek. Starring: Teresa Ramba, Marek Adamczyk, Marek Tapak, Jiri Dvorak, Pavel Zednicek
The adventure family film by Czech director Pavel Yandurek attracts with fabulous images and an intriguing plot. A young doctor, Anna, arrives in the small town of Medov, where she has inherited from her uncle an old house with a greenhouse and a dental office. In addition to real estate, a relative bequeathed her a secret — a Peruvian flower, whose juice is able to numb pain and treat people painlessly. The discovery of the girl haunts the local dentist, whose vanity and cynicism long ago blocked his professionalism. Anna is defended by local boys and girls who prove that there is nothing stronger in the world than loyal friends.
"Living rage", 18+
Directed by Kenji Tanigaki. Starring: Xie Miao, Joe Taslim, Yang Enyu, Brian La, Joey Ivanaga
The director of the Hong Kong action movie Kenji Tanigaki relies on stunts and action, which take up 90% of the screen time. He leaves the viewer with the opportunity to take his breath away only for a moment in between fights.
The plot takes you to a city where a gang of child traffickers is operating, and the corrupt police turn a blind eye to the lawlessness that is taking place. The daughter of the mute artisan Wang Wei is abducted here. Each character is proficient in a certain type of martial arts: Wang Wei is in charge of kung fu, Navin is in charge of judo, and the antagonist is so good at pencak silat martial art.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
