Mikhalkov: “Chekhov’s sisters are being made into lesbians, played by transgender people”
Moscow
In order for a Russian film to receive an award at a prestigious Western festival, it needs to be filmed from the point of view of a negative attitude towards one’s country.
Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov stated this in an interview with Izvestia, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
The publication asked for opinions about the new generation of actors, whom modern directors characterize as very free people who can easily overcome internal barriers or complexes that prevented previous generations from working.
“Overcoming the barrier is not that difficult. The question is, what can you offer after this? Just this very barrier? And what? You can take off your pants, vomit, get drunk, swear. But this is a convention that creates the appearance of freedom. Free and independent possession of a profession, when you can do anything, when you are technically armed, like a craftsman, if you want - this is the freedom that I recognize,” says Mikhalkov.
According to him, the freedom to be varied and interesting lies in what you do.
“It’s very easy to make Tusenbach gay, the three sisters lesbians, and have them played by transgender people. So what? But to play according to the text so that the audience cries in the hall is another thing. Freedom cannot replace mastery. I watch the performance and see that this was not difficult to do, but this was difficult, so difficult that I don’t even understand how it was done. Then - yes, I admire it. As a viewer, freedom is of little interest to me. I want to see what’s behind it,” said the director.
He also spoke about the perception of Russian cinema in the West.
“Western prestigious festivals have taught in recent years that in order to receive an award there, one must tell it from the point of view of people who do not love, feel, know or sympathize with the country in which they live. It is a fact. You can put them on a shield and say that they are brilliant. But one woman once wrote to me that art is something that you want to see, read or hear again. Do people want to see many of our films at the box office a second time? Here’s your answer,” Mikhalkov concluded.
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