The Long Farewell
Adventures in Eastern Europe: a cult cinema playlist from Dan Bird
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1h 30m
Directed by Kira Muratova • 1971 • USSR/Ukraine
Ukrainian auteur Kira Muratova’s sophomore directorial effort, The Long Farewell was shelved by censors until 1987, then heralded as a lost masterpiece. This simple tale of maternal jealousy and filial rebellion is transformed by Muratova into a thrillingly odd drama full of visual sophistication, off-kilter music, and exquisite camerawork. Zinaida Sharko is heartbreaking as the mother on the edge of a nervous breakdown, and Oleg Karavaychuk’s piano score is a minor masterpiece of its own.
THE LONG FAREWELL • ДОЛГИЕ ПРОВОДЫ
Directed by Kira Muratova
Written by Natalya Ryazantseva and Kira Muratova
Cinematography by Gennady Karyuk
Music by Oleg Karavaychuk
Starring: Zinaida Sharko, Oleg Vladimirsky
In Russian with English subtitles
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