Izgnanie

The Banishment is the story of mistrust and misunderstanding with disastrous consequences. The movie starts with a dramatic drive by a man (Aleksandr Baluyev as Mark) who appears to be bleeding to death from a bullet in his arm. His brother (Konstantin Lavronenko as Alex) dramatically removes the bullet with highly confident and seemingly practiced field surgery. Why, we have no idea and never learn.

Alex’s wife, Vera (Maria Bonnevie), also has a secret which comes out when Alex and family move out to his father’s house in the country (again, for reasons that are not explained). Ultimately the secret brings disaster and then regrets. It is a sad story of regret and insanity. But very compelling.

2007 Toronto International Film Festival