On Man and Morality in the Russian Society: An Analysis of Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Films Elena and Loveless
Małgorzata BOGUNIA-BOROWSKA
Jagiellonian University, Cracow , Polandhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9807-7484
Abstract
The aim of the article is to describe the contemporary Russian society, identifying the directions its future development might take, on the basis of a critical analysis of Andrey Zvyagintsev’s films Elena and Loveless. The image of the Russian society with its predominant attitudes towards life, its morality and values conveyed by the films scrutinized in the paper is one of a society demonstrating the logic of war. Adopted as a lifestyle and a philosophy of daily existence, the logic of war is manifested in private lives of individuals, in the functioning of the society as a whole and of its institutions, as well as in the power structures of the Russian state. Such a logic permits unethical behavior and makes it possible for individuals to evade responsibility for their actions justifying them by their personal welfare or an absolute necessity. In the context of the war ongoing in Ukraine, the attitudes adopted by Zvyagintsev’s characters, take on symbolic and prophetic aspects.
