Key facts
- Exiled Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev's new film "Minotaur" addresses Russia's war in Ukraine.
- The film centers on conscription and moral compromise.
- "Minotaur" won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.
- The film is an entry for the 2027 Oscar for best international film.
- Zvyagintsev left Russia in 2021.
- Russia designated Zvyagintsev a "foreign agent" in August.
Exiled Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev's new drama, "Minotaur," confronts Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, exploring themes of conscription and moral compromise. The film, which secured the Grand Prix at this year's Cannes Film Festival, is a contender for the 2027 Oscar for best international film.
"Minotaur" depicts scenes of Russian conscripts boarding buses for the front and the emotional goodbyes of families. It also features the image of a deceased war hero on a roadside billboard. The narrative follows Gleb, a logistics company owner who, under pressure from the local mayor to supply soldiers, resorts to recruiting new drivers with high salary promises, only to send them directly into the conflict.
Zvyagintsev, who left Russia in 2021, stated that as a director born and raised in Russia who speaks only Russian, he felt compelled to address the war, which he considers the most significant event of recent years. The 62-year-old director, known for Oscar-nominated films "Leviathan" and "Loveless," now resides in France.
The film, produced in France and in Russian, is unlikely to be officially released in Russia due to its subject matter. Zvyagintsev expressed skepticism about its ability to sway public opinion on the war, noting that 2026 polling by the Levada Center indicated over 70% support for the military campaign, though a majority also favored peace negotiations. He contrasted the "crude instrument" of propaganda with the subtle, long-term influence of art.
Russia has avoided further compulsory mobilization since 2022, relying on recruitment drives and bonuses, though analysts suggest a new mobilization is possible. Zvyagintsev drew inspiration for the screenplay from online videos of Russia's mobilization campaigns. Unable to film in Russia, he used a town in Latvia as a substitute location.
Critics have characterized "Minotaur" as one of Zvyagintsev's most direct commentaries on Russia's political and moral landscape. He described the film as an effort to "tell the story as we see it and find the human being in this unbearable state of compromise."
In August, Russia labeled Zvyagintsev a "foreign agent," a designation for individuals accused of anti-Russian activities with foreign backing. Zvyagintsev declined to comment on the potential impact of this designation.
Initially, Zvyagintsev intended to remake Claude Chabrol's 1969 thriller "La Femme Infidele." However, by the time rights were secured and screenplay work began in 2022, Russia's invasion of Ukraine had transformed the project. The Parisian setting of Chabrol's film was replaced with a bleak Russian town, and the original story's domestic tensions were recontextualized against the backdrop of war. Zvyagintsev reflected that it was fortunate the rights were not acquired earlier, as a 2018-2019 production would have resulted in a vastly different film.