To See Paris and Die

Set in the Soviet Union in the 1960s, this complex, wrenching film tells the desperate story of Elena, a fiery, stop-at-nothing stage mother who will do anything (and does) to make sure that nothing interferes with her grown son Yuri's success as a concert pianist. To hear him play in Paris is Elena's simple (yet logistically difficult) dream. Yuri, the film's bland centerpiece, (whose only on-screen gift is his mane of golden hair) appears to be a serious artist but also a man in love with two women--one, a quiet, ethereal Jewish woman; the other, a boisterous and beautiful "full-bred" Russian. Given the time and setting of the story, political and religious oppression also have important, pivotal roles in the film. Tatyana Vasilyeva plays Elena with incandescent gusto and deservedly won a Russian Oscar for her performance. A dramatic and compelling cinematic timepiece that, aside from its poor subtitles, is testimony to the fine, clear-headed, and hearty filmmaking taking place in Russia in the 1990s, this is recommended. (A. Glover)