One summer, two brothers are surprised by the arrival of their long absent father. Although the boys only know him from an old photograph, he persuades them to accompany him on a fishing trip. One brother takes to his father immediately while the other shows a deep contempt and distrust. The father shows an amount of favouritism to the older bother, which worsens matters with the younger. Finally they arrive at the island only to find that the father has another agenda.
Ivan Dobronravov plays the younger brother and puts in an award winning performance. I have never seen a more intense piece of acting by one so young. The story is meticulously filmed in breathtakingly beautiful landscapes. As a debut film, Zvyagintsev set a very high standard, which he gratifyingly managed to maintain in his follow up film "The Banishment". This is a director to watch out for.
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