The Banishment

2007 Director Andrei Zvyagintsev

This is Zvyagintsev's follow up to The Return. It is the tale of two brothers struggling to keep their lives together in the face of certain disaster.

Alex and his family move from the city to his father's old house in the countryside. As the family settles into their rustic existence, Alex's wife reveals that she is pregnant by another man. Enraged by his wife's announcement, Alex consults with his brother and demands that she terminates the pregnancy. When the forced abortion goes horribly awry and Alex's brother suffers a severe heart attack, a confrontation with the man Alex believes to have seduced his wife send events quickly spiraling out of control.

A tale of high morals and pride set against stunning scenery, all beautifully filmed. The transition from idyll to nightmare is so gradual as to be almost imperceptible. It is a harrowing story that highlights the critical points in one's life where devastation can so easily follow ill informed decisions. Well worth seeing.