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Who is Alexandra? The main character in the film is an ordinary Russian woman who has lived a long and hard life but remained beautiful and stately, and who has the kind of wisdom and real life experience characteristic of strong people. Why does she decide to visit her grandson? What does she expect from the trip? Alexandra decides to help her grandson – she wants to give the kind of help only family can provide, with tenderness and understanding. She senses that this strong military officer, who fulfills tough military assignments, has problems that he cannot resolve. They are connected with his values and world view, and Alexandra believes that her help – the help of a close relative – can give him strength: she will answer his questions and ask him some of her own. What does she discover during her trip? What lesson does she learn? During her trip Alexandra doesn’t meet a single negative person. Before she left she thought that she’d arrive in a place where everything would be torn apart like open wounds, a place of hatred, spite, and resentment. But she is delighted to discover that there is no spite, no resentment, no hatred among the military. She finds people who need warmth, tenderness and understanding. She understands everyone she meets with her heart and soul – the officers or young soldiers in the garrison, the Chechan women she meets on the streets of the ruined city. She doesn’t feel any sense of distance from them. She is delighted to discover that she understands this world – there are no incurable diseases here. Her lessons? Those are beyond the action in the film. I think that she doesn’t really learn anything new during her trip to the Caucasus. She has always been a wise and grounded woman. On her trip she only confirms the maternal observations that she has made for many years: that hatred is not the basis of life, that there is goodness, which is greater than anything else. All you need to do is to understand a person with your heart. How does she get along with the local population? Alexandra meets with local women, children and teenagers and doesn’t feel a bit of fear, since there is nothing in them to fear. Alexandra remembers war; she experienced dislocation and knows how hard it is to achieve peace. She knows why a young Chechan boy looks at her severely. Her “wisdom of the soul” allows her to quickly find a common language with a Chechan woman of her own age and become friends. What were your first impressions from the trip to scout locations? The action in the film takes place in the city of Grozny in Chechnya. Alexandra’s grandson serves in a garrison not far from the city. We went to the Caucasus to scout locations. We met with the military and civil leaders, who were all ready to provide assistance. In Grozny we visited a theater that is, unfortunately, still not functional but is being repaired and reconstructed. We saw a rehearsal: the actors performed in the Chechan language, but their technique was no different than in, say, St. Petersburg theaters. The women were excellent actors – expressive and totally open. We liked the young actors who had just graduated from the Advanced School of Theatrical Arts in Moscow. I cast several of them in our film. As far as the locations go – I didn’t see anything that astonished me in Grozny. I had already been in war zones before, and I’d been in Chechnya when people were still living in trenches and killing each other. Today life there gives the impression of returning to peace: people are trying to repair their housing and create jobs. However, they are greatly hindered by local traditions (the system of seniority, corruption, and nepotism). I would even say that these are the main obstacles to solving the majority of the problems. Unfortunately, virtually the entire Russian population has disappeared, and these were people who worked in factories. As a result, industry is at a standstill and there are a great number of ruined and abandoned houses. But I want to stress that we didn’t feel any ill will from any of the local residents. I spoke with many people, went into ruined buildings and apartments where people are trying to live. They have many questions for their leaders, who they believe are not providing adequate assistance. Most of the young people do not live in the republic. Their mothers send them to school or to work outside Chechnya. The women are afraid their children will be led astray if they stay. No one I spoke with cited partisan warfare, the policy of separatism from Russia, or justified the men’s military activities. These destitute women are filled with an absolutely rational and reasonable sense of forgiveness and a very rational desire to keep the peace. As the director, what are you going to focus on in the story? The atmosphere, mood, people’s eyes, portraits. I very much want the movie-goer to see compelling portraits and very simple, understandable people. I want to show them eyes that understand, eyes that forgive. The film is not depressing; the mood is definitely one of hope. We want to create a feeling of heart-felt, mutual understanding. I hope we’ll be able to convey truthfully the conditions that people are living in – the Chechans and the Russians serving there. But this sense of mutual understanding that comes from the heart – this is what I want to convey most of all. How clearly is the context of the war in Chechnya going to be depicted in the film? There is certainly tension there, and you can’t avoid it. But war never resolves problems. There is no such thing as a “victorious war.” What vision of Russia do you wish to convey through the image of Alexandra? For me, Alexandra is a kind of supporting character – a beautiful, wise, victorious woman. The name Alexandra means “Defender of Mankind.” She is victorious by virtue of the power of love, understanding and intelligence. She is the strong and profound image of the warrior, the protector of the Good. That is why we chose a particular actress who has this kind of regal bearing. How would you describe the film Alexandra in the context of your work? This film is one of my most important works. It came out of a meeting with the brilliant actress I want to play the leading role. This is one those rare cases when the need to make a film that is filled with goodness and good people coincided with the great desire to preserve for posterity the great gift of an actress who is truly representative of the people, truly Russian. And perhaps it is one of the most magical of my films, since I find more mythic subtexts in it than in any other film I’ve made. I’ve never done anything like this. You can never say that you will make a perfect film. Every single one of my pictures has faults. In each new work you try to overcome your past mistakes and do something better. I am extremely grateful to Andrey (Andrey Sigle, producer and general director of Proline-film), for his understanding and selfless dedication. His role in making this film is no less than mine, although I’m the director, author of the idea and the screenplay. I also hope that Andrei will agree to do the score for the film as he did for my previous films (The Sun, Taurus, Father and Son). Work on this project has been difficult, and I hope this film will release something in my soul. I have great hopes for this movie. Andrey Sigle, producer, film score composer Why was Proline Film studios interested in Alexander Sokurov’s new project? Why is this project so relevant today? What kind of music will be in the film? Wasn’t it difficult to decide to film everything in the Caucasus? Are you taking a great risk?
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