Land of the Deaf [Страна глухих] (1998)

Russia.  115 min.  Directed by Valerii Todorovskii.  Written by Valerii Todorovskii and Iurii Korotkov. Based on a story by Renata Litvinova “To Own and Belong.”  Art direction by Sergei Ivanov.  Photography Iurii Shaigardanov. Music by Aleksei Aigi. Editing by Natal’ia Kucherenko, Irina Tret’iakova. Produced by Sergei Livnev.  With Dina Korzun, Chulpan Khamatova, Maksim Sukhaov, and Nikita Tiunin.

Todorovskii’s highly acclaimed criminal/love drama follows the adventures of two women who find themselves thrown together to navigate their way through two disparate, yet intersecting worlds — the hostile world of the Moscow mafia and the silent “land of the deaf.”   The adventure begins when Rita, a young woman pawned to the mob by her debt-ridden boyfriend, is rescued and taken in by Yaya, an obstinate deaf woman, masterfully played by Dina Korzun.  Aleksandr Aigi's award winning musical score and Iuri Shaigardanov's evocative location photography impart a latent, otherworldly atmosphere to the film's fast-paced narrative.

“a delicate, absorbing Russian drama, The Land of the Deaf was among the most underrated movies of the festival . . . Chulpan Khamatova and Dina Korzun are both mesmerizing as the waif who escapes a conniving boyfriend and the deaf stripper who befriends her. . . . Audiences are required to work for their pleasure in The Land of the Deaf, but their efforts do not go unrewarded.”

— Berlin Film Festival, 1998

 “I’m making a film about money” — It used to be inappropriate to say such things.  My film is about love and money.  It’s about the happiness that we seek through love and money.  I had hoped that in the finale a harmony would emerge which was above both love and money.”

—- Valerii Todorovskii, Seans 16, 1998. 101.

“Love and money.  I think those are the two main topics of today’s life.  These two notions dictate and influence everything else: what is the priority, what is less important, what shifts where, and what influences what.  What are the motives for people’s actions?  Is it selfishness or altruism?  Love for oneself or compassion for others?  What is your reason for living?  These are the questions that serve as the basis for the plot of the film.  The film reveals an “exotic” world in itself: the deaf community.  At a certain point in the picture the phenomenon of deafness as a physical disability becomes a vivid creative image, reflecting the life of people in modern cinematography.”

— Valerii Todorovskii.  Sochi Film Festival Catalogue, 1998. 72.

Valerii Todorovskii is the son of the well-known Russian director Petr Todorovskii.  He was born in 1962 in Odessa and graduated from the screenwriters' and directors' section of VGIK in 1984.  He has written, directed, edited, produced, and even acted in films (Iulii Raizman’s 1978 film Strange Woman [Странная женщина]).  He currently runs his own production company Raccoon-film.

Land of the Deaf was given the prestigious “Golden Aires” for 1998, a prize awarded by Russian film critics and the film press.  Dina Korzun, Maksim Sukhanov and Aleksei Aigi also received awards for their work in the film.