Alexandra (Russia, 2007) January 11, 2009

Two of Russia's most celebrated artists - filmmaker Alexander Sokurov and opera star Galina Vishnevskaya - join forces to capture the universal dehumanization of soldiers who must become occupiers. Alexandra (Vishnevskaya) is a force of nature, imposing yet gentle, an embodiment of Mother Russia who has come to visit her grandson, a Russian army officer in a battalion occupying a hostile land. Although the country remains unnamed, Sokurov makes it pretty clear that we are in Chechnya. For the soldiers, the sudden appearance of this loving grandmother can't help but be both heartwarming and disturbing because she so vividly reminds them of home and a life far different from the war zone that dominates their everyday lives. Alexandra finds herself in a dark and unsettling landscape. Through her eyes, we see a scene of seeming indifference to the mayhem being carried out in the world outside of the encampment.